Was It A Dream?
by janelouise
Summary: COMPLETE! 4-3-05 This story is a sequel to "I Can't, I'm Different" and I highly recommend that you read it first before reading this one. Seven year old Philip Evans and Suzie Blair meet for the first time and have a magical experience together. Years
1. Default Chapter

Title: Was It A Dream? Author: jane 

Disclaimer: They are not mine. The characters of Roswell belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, Jason Katims and all the wonderful people who we all love for starting this fabulous series. No infringement or disrespect is intended. I'm just borrowing them! I would like to thank Carol (spacemom) for allowing me to use her character names (Mason and Cheryl) from her story "Acting Alien" and for all of her help and advice-jane

Summary: **This story is a sequel to "I Can't, I'm Different" and I highly recommend that you read it first before reading this one**. Just before their wedding day, Max Evans and Liz Parker met the actors, Mason Blair and Cheryl Appleton, who look exactly like them. Pictures of Max and Liz are taken, but mistaken for Mason and Cheryl. To keep their privacy, the two couples stay apart until they meet ten years later, when they both have children of their own. **Seven year old Philip Evans and Suzie Blair meet for the first time and have a magical experience together**. A reporter had followed the famous couple to the beautiful Antarian community of Airatan and taken some pictures of them. Once again the friends must part, to keep Max and Liz's privacy intact. **Years later, when Philip and Suzie meet in college, will they recognize each other? Does Suzie remember that special night with Philip, or does she believe that it was only a dream?**

Was It A Dream? Part 1

Seven year old, Suzie Blair was enjoying visiting the Sixth Annual Airatan Art Festival, with her parents, Mason Blair and Cheryl Appleton and her five year old brother, Matt. They had been camping for a couple days, when they heard about the art fair and decided to go see it. She and Matt had really like watching all of the artists at work. The loud banging noises, as a metal sculptor fit two pieces of his statue together. Suzie had no idea what the statue was supposed to be, but it had been fun to watch it come together. The fluid grace of soft clay, as a potter formed a lovely vase on her wheel. The vibrant colors used by a painter, as he tried to depict something, which only his imagination could give a name to. The whole town was like something out of her storybooks. All of the buildings had curves, peaks and valleys. She had never seen anything like it, even on one of her father's or mother's movie sets, in Hollywood.

Suzie looked up at her father and mother and grinned. It was so funny to see them when they tried to disguise who they were. All of her mother's lovely, long, brown hair was hidden underneath a baseball cap and her face, was hidden by sunglasses. But her father was the funniest looking of all, with his scraggly beard and mustache.

She understood that they did this so that the four of them could have fun together, without being bothered by pesky reporters. Sometimes, her daddy called reporters by bad names, if they tried to bother one of them. It made her tummy hurt to hear her usually kind and gentle father speak that way.

She loved it when her family could spend time together like this for days at a time. Usually her parents were busy working hard. Her father and mother were famous actors, but they had told her that being her mommy or daddy was their most important job and they spent as much time as possible with her and her brother.

"Hey, Suzie, you want to come with your old dad, to see how they blow glass?"

"Ohh, yes! How do they do that Daddy? How do they make such pretty shapes?" Suzie asked as she looked through the window of a glass-blowing studio and saw shelf after shelf of lovely glass figurines.

"Well, I don't actually know. Let's go see for ourselves, shall we?" Mason suggested, as he took her hand and they walked into the glass-blowing studio.

"You're not old, Daddy." Suzie told her father.

"You don't think so? What about this gray hair I'm getting at my temples?" Mason asked, as he took off his hat and sunglasses to show her.

"It looks nice. Very dist...dist-sting-squished." She tried to use a big word she had heard recently.

"My hair is sting-squished, Oh No!" Mason teased her as she giggled.

"I think the word you are trying to say is distinguished, little-one." An old woman came forward, looking both of them over with an observant eye; eyes, which opened wide in shock, for just a moment, when they saw Mason and then returned to normal.

"And you are very correct; your daddy is not old. I am old." She said. Suzie looked up at the old lady and watched as she moved around the studio.

"Well, your hair is a pretty white, not gray and you do have just a few wrinkles, but otherwise you don't look that old. How old are you?" Suzie asked with the honest candor of the young.

"Suzie, that's none of your business." Mason told his daughter, reprovingly.

"Oh it's alright, sir. She's only being curious. My name is Nasus and I am 86 years old."

"That's older than my grandmother." Suzie said, after a moment's thought.

"Yes, most probably, young-one. But you came in to see how glass is blown, not hear an old lady talk about herself. What would you like to see me make?" Nasus asked.

"I don't know; show me how you make those glass balls...and how you make them all those pretty colors." Suzie requested.

"Very well, this is how I start..." And Nasus proceeded to show Suzie and Mason her art of glass blowing.

Time flew by and then father and daughter left the studio.

"That was so beautiful, Daddy. How Mrs. Nasus made first that red ball and then the ball with the green ribbon flowing inside it!" Suzie chattered as they came out.

"Yes wasn't it?" Her father agreed with her. "There's Mommy and you brother. Let's go joint them." He said and took her hand to cross the street.

As they drew closer, Suzie could see that a man was speaking to her brother. She heard her mother call the man Max Evans as she looked intently at his face, as he stood up to shake her father's hand. The man looked exactly like her father, except that he didn't have her daddy's funny-looking beard and mustache. She saw that he had a kind face and gentle eyes, when he glanced down at her and smiled. She smiled back up at him.

Soon her parents were taking hers' and Matt's hands and leading them over to the man's car. It seemed that this was a friend of Suzie's parents and all four of them were going to go and stay with his wife, Liz and their family for the night. Suzie and Matt were safely buckled into the back seat, on each side of their mother, while their father sat up front with his friend.

Soon the car passed through a huge gate, set into an enormous, green wall, which seemed to open magically, before them and close after them the same way. On the other side of the green wall, Suzie could no longer see the pretty, little town, but saw instead a beautiful valley unfold before her very eyes. She caught glimpses of more storybook houses through the trees, as they drove by. Then they drove up to a house, larger than any of the others Suzie had seen on their drive through the valley. It had arched windows and a flowing roof. None of the walls were straight either, but curved.

"Let me take you around back, where the kids are playing." She heard her daddy-look-a-like say.

'Kids? Playing? Could she play with them?' Suzie wondered, as they circled the house. Then she saw a woman who looked just like her mother, run over and hug her parents. 'Boy this was getting weird!' She thought to herself, but her attention was caught by the play-area, over by the trees. There was a swing-set with a big slide, set up on the grass and then wonder of wonders, a fort, which looked like something out of the "Swiss Family Robinson" book she had at home, with lots of rope ladders leading from one level to another, built among the trees.

Suzie almost squealed in delight, when she saw the playhouse built in among the great roots of some big, old tree and there, flitting among the branches was another little girl, with blond hair...and fairy-wings! Was this some sort of magical valley, her family had found? Were this man and woman, who looked exactly like her parents, king and queen of the fairy-people? She wondered to herself, allowing her imagination to run free. Then she and Matt were instructed to greet the kind-eyed lady who was smiling down at them.

"Hello, Mrs. Evans." They both said politely.

"Would the two of you like to come and play with two of my children, Phil and Libby?" Suzie and her brother both nodded and the mommy-look-a-like took their hands and led them over to where the other two children were playing.

"Phil, Libby, these are Matt and Suzie. I want you to play nicely with them and be on your best behavior." The lady said and Suzie thought that she was saying something else to them with just her eyes, before she left them to play.

This was not the first time that Phillip and Libby's mother had brought stranger's children over to play with them. Their parents had visitors several times a year. They were either Antarians, who lived elsewhere on Earth, or they might be visiting from the Unified Alliance of Planets. Sometimes, ambassadors from other alien worlds came to visit their parents, who were the King and Queen of all Antarian people. Luckily, the Evans children were happy, outgoing kids, who loved nothing better than to have someone new to play with.

"Do you want to play rescue the princess?" The little girl asked Suzie.

"Okay, what do we do?" Suzie asked.

"I'm the magical fairy and you can be the princess who needs rescuing! Come on, I have a dress and crown inside my playhouse." She said.

"I get to wear a crown?" Suzie asked in delight as she followed the blond-haired girl into the playhouse, which looked like a smaller version of the big house.

"Do you want to play the good knight, or the evil knight?" Phil asked Matt.

"Mmm, the evil knight! Does that mean I get to tie my big sister up?" He asked with glee.

"Um, sure, we usually just shut the princess up in the tree-house, but I think there might be some yarn up there you could use for your magical, unbreakable cord."

"Ohh, magical, unbreakable cord. I like the sound of that!" Matt grinned.

"Okay, then after you tie her up, I'll have to fight you to set her free, because I'm the good knight." Phil motioned to the white breastplate and helmet he was wearing. "Come on, your black helmet is in the fort." He said and both boys ran into the rustic, wooden fort, built underneath another large tree, nearby.

When they came out of the fort, wearing their armor and carrying their plastic shields and foam-rubber swords, the girls were waiting. Suzie had a knee-length, pink ballerina-skirt on, over her white shorts and top, but she still had on her red tennie-bops and red bracelet, which she had been wearing all day. Her crown, which was made of intricately bent wire, covered with gold glitter and sequins, was bobby-pinned, more or less straight, onto the top of her head.

"I get to tie you up with my magical, unbreakable cord!" Matt said, gleefully to his sister.

"Only if I let you, Matt-y." Suzie taunted, using the nickname her brother hated.

"OH you...you are my prisoner and I get to tie you up and shut you into my fort." Matt grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the wooden fort. It had a platform about five feet off the ground, with a railing all around it, a green canvas shade on top and rope and wooden ladders, to climb up to the platform, on all sides, which created the "walls" for the lower part of the fort.

Suzie carefully climbed the rope ladder, not wanting to ruin her princess costume and good-naturedly let her brother loosely tie her up with the yarn. Really, Matt was a pretty nice brother and fun to play with.

"Now I'll lock you in with an evil magic spell." Matt made a dramatic wave of his hands.

"But your friend, the Fairy Queen is here and will be able to break the evil spell with my magic wand, if the good knight can win the battle against the evil knight." Libby told Suzie, who was watching from behind her upstairs balustrade.

"Ah ha, Evil Knight, you have imprisoned the Princess with your magical, unbreakable cord and your evil spell, but I will fight you until you agree to release her." Phil intoned, dramatically and both boys started to fight with their foam-rubber swords. They made many sound effects and exclamations as they fought.

"Clash!"

"Ah ha, I got you, you evil villain!"

"Boom!"

"No, I deflected your weapon with my magic!"

"Crash!"

"Do you give up?"

"Never!"

The boys rolled around on the ground, until Phil was able to pin Matt onto his back.

"Ah ha, now I have you! And I am going to tie you up with my own magical, unbreakable cord, which the Fairy Queen gave me." Phil produced his own piece of yarn.

"Oh rats, foiled again!" Matt muttered.

"Can you break the evil spell, Fairy Queen?"

"Of course; with a wave of my magic wand, I can break any spell." She did so and Phil scrambled up the rope-ladder.

"I am here to rescue you, Princess!" Phil stated, grandly as he untied her.

"Thank you. You are my hero!" Suzie said and then puckered up her lips for a kiss.

"Hey, I ain't kissing no girl, yuck!" Phil cried. He might be a prince, but he was only a seven-year-old prince. Suzie took that comment good-naturedly. She wasn't sure about this kissing thing either, but she saw her parents doing it all the time...

The children then started to play their game all over again. The girls critiqued the boy's fighting style and a couple times, Suzie and Phil traded parts. Phil became the wounded knight, locked up in a dungeon to die and Suzie became the brave, Amazon Princess, who fought Matt, who would always be the Evil Knight, to save him, with the help of her friend, Libby, the Fairy Queen.

"Hey kids, come wash up for dinner." Liz called out."

"DINNER!" They all yelled and came running, costumes still on and weapons and wands still in their hands.

"Oh my goodness! Where is our camera?" Both mothers exclaimed and ran into the house to find their cameras. A few moments later, pictures had been taken, hands and faces had been washed and armor, dresses and wings had been removed. Only Suzie still wore her crown as everyone sat down to dinner.

"Hey you make a lovely princess, Sweetheart." Mason told his daughter, who blushed and hid her happy face behind her two hands.

Max and Liz looked at Phil and Suzie, who were sitting next to each other. 'Could this be a prophetic moment here? Our son, our Prince; sitting next to his Princess?' Max asked Liz, silently, as they both thought about their own Royal Circlets, hidden in the secret compartment, in their bedroom.

'I don't know, but they do look cute together. So do Matt and Libby!' Liz gazed at the children with a dreamy look in her eyes.

After a delicious dinner, the children were taken in, given their baths, tucked into bed and read stories, before they fell asleep. Libby and Suzie shared Libby's full-sized, canopy bed and Matt slept on the lower level of Phil's bunk bed, since he was only 5 years old.

The parents cleaned up the kitchen and then went back out onto the patio to chat for a couple hours, getting to know each other, as they had so wanted to do, but couldn't, over the past years. Finally they too went into their rooms, to sleep.

Suzie woke up in the middle of the night when she heard a noise in the room across the hall. Phil's room, she remembered. She looked at her new friend, Libby, but she was fast asleep. Suzie got out of bed, slipping her feet into her tennie-bops as she did and put her sweater on over her summer pajamas, before walking quietly out of her room, across the hall and into Phil's room. In the moonlight, she could see that Matt was also fast asleep. She heard a voice and looked towards the room's window.

"Come on Phil." A boy urged from outside, while a second boy stood about a yard back from the window. As she watched, Phil slipped out his window and ran off towards the woods with his two friends.

Suzie bit her lip. What should she do? Should she go wake up her parents, Phil's parents? What could she tell them though, she reasoned. She didn't know where they went. It would be better if she followed them, found out what they were up to and then came back to get her parents, if need be, she decided with a nod and slid out the window and ran across the grass towards the woods.

There was a full moon out tonight and its light filtered down through the tree branches so that Suzie could sort of see her way as she followed a bobbing light up ahead. She came to a clearing in the woods where she saw lights shoot up into the air, break apart and then fall to the earth like multi-colored firecrackers. She moved forward, but stayed hidden behind a tree.

It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the dark and her mind to figure out what she was really seeing. Half a dozen kids, both boys and girls, of about thirteen years of age were in the clearing, plus the two friends of Phillip's, who looked as though they were nine years old and Phillip, who she thought was seven.

Incredibly, the older kids were throwing stones up high into the air and somehow making them soundlessly explode into a rainbow of sparks, which fell harmlessly to earth.

"You try it Jimmy, Marcus." One of the older boys encouraged Phillip's two friends.

"I'll show you how to do it, Phil." One of the girls said and she came over to him and they huddled together for a few minutes, but Suzie didn't see her 'show him' how to do anything.

"Let me try." Jimmy called out, as he threw a stone up into the air. It didn't do anything and just fell back to earth. The older kids were grinning.

"Let me try." Marcus called out next as he threw a stone up into the air. It also came falling back to earth.

"Let me try." Phillip called out, nodding to the older girl who had been helping him. He threw his stone up into the air and it exploded loudly up in the air.

"All right, Phillip!" The older kids called out. "You used a little too much power, ease up a little so that the stone glows with heat on its way up and then just breaks apart into tiny, multi-colored pieces on its way down." They advised. Phillip concentrated for a moment and then threw another stone up into the air. It started to glow on its way up and then silently exploded into tiny, multi-colored sparks on its way down.

"All right, Phillip!" They all clapped for their friend, with respect in their eyes.

"Not many kids can do that before they're nine or ten." One of the other girls said.

"You are your father's son, alright." Another said and Phillip ducked his head shyly at their praise.

"I wanna try again." Both Jimmy and Marcus cried out.

"One at a time, guys." One of the older boys warned and Jimmy threw his stone up into the air, it exploded, loudly.

"Rats!" Jimmy exclaimed. "You try Marcus." He said and Marcus threw his stone up into the air. It glowed on the way up and silently exploded into colorful sparks.

"Alright Marcus! Jimmy you try again. Come on, we know you can do it." They encouraged him.

Jimmy threw his stone up into the air and this time, it did what it was supposed to do, sending radiant sparks down to earth.

"Alright, Jimmy!" All the kids clapped for him.

"Hey let's do figure eights." One boy suggested next and they all nodded.

"Just follow our lead, Phillip." Marcus said, as all the kids allowed their hands to start glowing.

Phil made his hand glow and then followed the older kids as they ran around the clearing, in a figure eight, crossing in front of each other in the middle, their glowing hands raised above their heads.

"On three, everyone down." A girl called out. "One, two, three." And all the kids dropped to the ground, extinguishing their hands and lay on their backs, gazing up at the glowing figure eight, which hung in the air for several minutes.

"Oh my gosh!" Suzie exclaimed, excitedly. "I'm going to get closer." Phillip heard a noise and looked towards the encircling trees and saw Suzie move from one tree to another.

'Oh no, what's she doing here?' He groaned to himself. 'I have to get her away from here.'

"Hey Jimmy, Marcus. I think I sensed my mom waking up. She may come to check on all of us. I'd better get home. Thanks for showing me how to make fireworks!" He called over to the girl who had helped him and then ran into the woods. He came up to where Suzie was hiding.

"What are you doing here?" Phil asked.

"I heard a noise and saw you slip out your window and decided to follow." Suzie answered. "Are you guys fairies, or witches or something?" She asked, excitedly.

"No we are not fairies or witches." Phillip denied. One of the first things Antarian children are taught is to never, ever betray your people by telling anyone what you are. He felt that it was his fault that she had seen as much as she had in the first place. He had to make sure that she would keep their secret.

"Then what are you?" Suzie asked.

"I can't tell you. I won't betray my people. Can you understand what would happen to us if other people or the government found out about us? We'd be locked up...or worse." Phillip didn't like to think about the 'or worse-part' and Suzie's eyes had become big and round as she nodded.

"Will you keep the secret of what you saw here tonight?" Phillip asked her.

"Oh yes, don't worry, I won't tell anyone, not even my parents." Suzie promised.

"Just think of what you saw as a dream. Something you imagined." Phil advised.

"That won't be hard; this whole day has been like a dream. Suzie sighed.

"Okay, let me take you back to the house now." Phil said as he took her hand and led her back through the woods, to his house. On the way home, though, tears started running, silently down Suzie's face.

"Why are you crying?" Phillip asked, alarmed, when they reached his bedroom window.

"This has been the best day of my life. I don't want to forget it." Suzie sobbed. "I won't tell anyone, but I don't -sob- want -sob- to forget -sob-."

"I know; I'll make you something to remind you of this valley and of your promise." Phillip said.

"Okay -sob-." Suzie said. Phil reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out seven pennies and laid them on the ground in a V.

"Now I have to concentrate. I just saw Marcus do this last week and I have to remember what he said to do." Phillip stayed quiet and still for a moment, concentrating. Then his hand started to glow and he passed it slowly over the pennies three times. Then he picked up the solid piece of copper and showed it to Suzie.

"See, I melted the pennies together and made this map of the valley." Phillip said. "Here's the town, here are the two rivers, here's our house and here's the clearing and I put the word 'promise' in between the last two."

"Ohh that is so neat!" Suzie exclaimed.

"Shh, you'll wake someone up." Phillip warned. "Now let's get inside, before someone misses us." Phillip helped Suzie up through the window and then he slipped inside himself, closing the window behind him. They walked across the hall to the room Suzie was sharing with Libby.

"Thank you." Suzie said, simply and then she leaned in and kissed Phillip on the cheek, before scurrying into her room and closing the door.

She put a hand over her mouth to keep her giggles from escaping. On the other side of the door, Phillip put a hand up to touch his cheek. He didn't know whether to grin at receiving his first kiss from a girl or roll his eyes, as his friends did, when girls tried to talk to them.

'Phil.' He heard his name called silently and looked around. His father was standing a couple yards away and was beckoning him towards the family room.

'Uh oh.' He thought and walked in that direction as well.

"I guess you know all about my going to the clearing." Phillip said, right away, his head dropped.

"Of course; we don't mind your experimenting and having a little fun with your powers, as long as you're careful and get enough sleep. You know that someone is always watching, just in case anyone gets hurt, but you were with a good bunch of kids tonight and everyone was careful." Max broke into a smile. "And you made fireworks, on your first try. That's great, Phillip!" He hugged his son and drew him over to the sofa.

"Well, actually my first stone kind of exploded, but my second stone did what it was supposed to do!" Phillip explained.

"I'm still proud of you." Max said. "Now about Suzie..."

"I brought her home as soon as I realized she was there. She didn't see much, honest. And she promised not to tell..." Phil said, anxiously. Max was silent for a moment, concentrating.

"Yes, I know and she is already asleep. Even though she wants to remember, I don't think she will. Once she leaves here, her time in the Valley will become a dream-image to her."

"Daddy, did you, did you dream-walk her?" Phil asked.

"It's not something I like to do; it's not something anyone should do, unless it's for an important reason, as it was tonight. I needed to know the state of her mind, how she is handling what she saw tonight, whether she will tell her parents."

"She won't Daddy. She promised."

"Yes, I think you're right. I think she will keep her promise." Max agreed after one more peek into Suzie's dreams. "Well, are you ready to go back to sleep, Son? There's a lot to do tomorrow."

"Yeah, I am tired." Phillip yawned and father and son got up to walk back to their rooms. Max tucked Phil back under his covers and then returned to his worried mate.

"Everything will be alright. They're both safely asleep and I truly don't think that Suzie will remember anything." Max said, as he drew Liz into his arms. "Go back to sleep, love." He kissed her tenderly and she closed her eyes to sleep. Max watched her sweet face for a few moments and then drifted back to sleep, as well.

Back in Libby's room, a few minutes earlier, Suzie stifled her giggles at kissing her first boy, with her hand and moved over to where she could see her knapsack on the floor, in the moonlight. She took the V made of copper and slipped it down among her other favorite things, which she always took with her when she traveled. Then she slipped into bed and was asleep in moments.

The next morning, Suzie was roused from sleep by a gentle hand shaking her.

"Wake up sleepy-head, you've slept the morning away and we need to be leaving soon." Cheryl told her daughter.

"Mmm, wah time is it?" Suzie yawned.

"It's nine o'clock. Your Dad is out touring the valley with Mr. Evans and the kids are at their day-camps."

"Okay, Mom." Suzie got out of bed and her mother helped her put fresh clothes on, to speed her along and then they went out to the kitchen where blueberry pancakes were cooking.

"Good morning, Suzie. My you must have tired yourself out, playing so hard yesterday." Liz said, casually as she watched the little girl for any signs of her remembering what she saw in the middle of the night.

"Mm, are those blueberry pancakes for me? They're my favorite!" She smiled as she watched Liz flip them onto a plate.

"Yes, these are for you. A little bird on your mother's shoulder told me what your favorite breakfast food is. Come and eat them while they're hot." Suzie came to the table and dug in.

"Where's Matt?" Suzie asked when she had a clear mouth again.

"He's out on the swings, see?" Cheryl said.

"Oh. Where's Daddy?"

"He went with Mr. Evans to see more of the valley before we leave."

"Do we have to leave?" Suzie asked, disappointed.

"I'm afraid so. Daddy's new movie starts filming the day after tomorrow and mine starts next week." Cheryl saw that her daughter had polished off her breakfast plate.

"Are you done?" At Suzie's grin and nod. "Go brush your teeth and make sure that everything's back in your knapsack and I'll be in there in a minute."

Suzie ran and brushed her teeth and then scurried into Libby's room and over to her knapsack. As she had eaten breakfast, what she had thought was a dream, from the night before, came back to her. But now she wasn't sure if it had been a dram or for real. If she could find the small copper V, which Libby's brother had given her that would prove that it was real, she thought to herself. Otherwise she would guess that it was a dream. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, Suzie dumped everything out of her knapsack and pushed everything aside, looking for her memento.

'It has to be here, it has to be. It was real; I know it was real...wasn't it?' Suzie began to doubt herself when she couldn't find the copper V. Unbeknownst to her; the little memento had slid through a small crack in the lining of Suzie's knapsack and was stuck down there.

"Suzie, it's time to go, Sweetheart. Your father and Mr. Evans are back." Cheryl came to get her daughter. "Oh, Suzie, what have you done? Let's get everything back into your knapsack, honey. What's the matter, did you lose something?" Cheryl asked when she saw her daughter's sad face.

"I guess it was just a dream after all." Suzie said, sadly.

"What was just a dream, pumpkin?" Cheryl asked.

"Nothing." Was all Suzie would say.

Cheryl took her daughter's hand in one of hers and her knapsack in her other and guided Suzie out to the family room, where she reminded her children to bid their hosts goodbye. Hugs were exchanged and the Blair family was walked out to their car. As her father drove them out of the valley, Suzie looked back the way they had come.

'Was it really a just a dream?' She wondered.

A couple weeks later, Max and Liz received a large envelope from Mason and Cheryl. The letter read:

Dear Max and Liz,

We are afraid that we have some bad news. A photographer tracked us down while we were in Airatan and took the following pictures. At least this time the pictures are of us and not of the two of you. The photographer believes that we were just visiting your art festival, as he never saw the four of us together.

We are sorry, but this means that we probably should not try to return to your lovely valley. If the Press were ever to see the four of us together, you might never get them out of your beautiful town.

We would really like to keep in contact with you, if you think that would be all right. Here are our street and e-mail addresses and our private phone numbers. Please let us here from you.

Very sincerely, your twins, Mason and Cheryl

"Oh Max!" Liz exclaimed sadly. "I was so hoping that it would be okay this time. I really liked getting to know Mason and Cheryl and the kids had so much fun playing together."

"I know Sweetheart, but it can't be helped. We'll stay in touch with them as much as we can, without being found out by the Press." Max promised.

Part 2

September 14, 2024, 7 years later.

"Happy birthday, dear Phillip. Happy birthday to you!" Everyone sang and then clapped and cheered, as Phillip blew out all fourteen candles on his birthday cake.

"What did you wish for?" Amy Guerin asked.

"Don't tell, or it won't come true." His sister, Dee warned him.

"You get to make another wish when you make the first cut in your cake." His mother told him, handing him the cake-knife.

"Alright, I'll give it a try, but you remember what a mess I made of it last year." Phillip reminded her.

"Why don't you just use your powers?" Jimmy Valenti asked.

"May I?" Phillip asked, eagerly.

"You may, but I don't think you get the second wish, since you won't truly be cutting the cake." Liz warned.

"Hmm, I think it will be better all around if I skip the wish and use my powers to serve everyone their piece of cake." Phillip decided. "How many of us are there?" His eyes grew large when he realized that there were twenty-seven of them, his family and best friends, sitting and standing around the large dining room table. "Alright, let me concentrate for a moment. This is a big cake, but I still have to figure out how to cut enough pieces for all of us."

Phillip concentrated and then cuts started to neatly appear in the cake and pieces started to float over onto the plates. His twelve-year-old sister, Libby used her powers to dip out the ice-cream and move the plate aside quickly enough to always have a clean plate ready for the next piece of cake, Phillip floated towards her. Finally, everyone had their cake and ice-cream and not a crumb had been dropped.

"Oh, Grandma Amy, this cake looks fantastic! Chocolate, with chocolate frosting on the outside and raspberry jam between the one, two, three, four layers, just like I requested. Thank you so much for baking this for me!" Phillip grinned at Amy Valenti.

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." Amy smiled back.

For years now, all of the grandchildren had been calling all of the grandparents, 'grandma' or 'grandpa', whether or not they were related. Amy had retired from her pie and cake baking, but was still asked to bake her delectable cakes for the birthdays of her extended family.

"Why don't you kids go back into the family room to eat your dessert and we'll come in a few minutes to watch you open your gifts." Max suggested. All of the kids filed out of the room, eating their cake as they went. As the kids disappeared out of the dining room, Liz sighed.

"They are all growing up so quickly."

"That they are." Jeff agreed. "Now maybe you'll understand what we were feeling when you were this age."

"Absolutely." Max agreed. "And I think we have it a little easier than all of you did. Each of you had this adopted child, who was sometimes secretive or downright strange!" Everyone laughed.

"Speak for yourself, Max!" Isabel called out. "I was a perfect angel, right Mom?"

"Well, most of the time, honey!" Judy and John chuckled at the shocked expression on their daughter's face.

"I think we do have it a little easier than you guys did." Michael agreed. "We know what to expect from our kids. There aren't any secrets and with the Connection, I think communication and understanding each other's point of view is much easier."

"Well, and on that note, should we all go join our kids?" Liz asked, seeing that everyone had finished their' dessert. "Will, everyone bring their dishes out to the kitchen, please?" She requested. The adults got up from the table and did as Liz asked; quickly cleaning up the dining room before they all trooped into the family room.

The teenagers and pre-teens were all sitting on the floor, thoughtfully leaving the sofas and chairs for the adults to sit on. Even the birthday-boy was sitting on the floor, between his two, best friends, Amy and Marcus Guerin. All of the gifts had been arranged on the floor, in the middle of the room.

"Alright, Phillip, are you ready to open your presents now?" Diane asked her grandson.

"Oh yeah!" Phillip answered excitedly.

"Then why don't you start with that one, with the big, purple bow on top?" She suggested and Phillip dove for it.

As he opened his gifts and thanked each person for what they had given him, Phillip could not help notice the physical resemblance between his friends and sisters and their parents.

His best friends, Amy and Marcus both had Aunt Maria's large, green eyes, but sixteen-year-old, Marcus was the one with her blond hair. He had his father's hawk-like nose and chiseled high cheekbones. His fourteen-year-old sister, Amy had her father's light brown hair, which she wore no longer than shoulder length, so she could keep the natural curliness; she had inherited from her father. She had her mother's full lips and lovely smile, though.

The thirteen-year-old twins, Judy and Charlie looked a great deal like their parents, Aunt Isabel and Uncle Alex. It was interesting to see Judy sitting next to his twelve-year-old sister, Libby, as she was tonight, because Libby also looked a great deal like their aunt and biological grandmother, Belisa. Phillip's other sister, Dee looked more like him. They both had straight, brown hair, with little bits of gold and red highlighting it. Dee's hair reached down past her waist. She had their mother's large, chocolate, brown eyes, but their father's large earlobes, which was one reason she wore her hair long. He himself had his father's amber eyes and prominent cheekbones.

Sixteen-year-old Jimmy and his fourteen-year-old sister, Nancy looked a great deal like their parents, Uncle Kyle and Aunt Tess. Jimmy, with his dark brown hair and blue eyes and Nancy, with her curly, blond hair and equally blue eyes. He felt extremely grateful that he had such a large, extended family and good friends. He knew that all of their parents had grown up pretty much alone, afraid of giving their secret away. Even his own mother had, had only her adopted sister, Tess.

"All of these gifts are great! Thank you, everyone." Phillip said, as he finished opening his presents.

"How about a game of touch-football?" Max suggested.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

These games showed how active and physically fit their parents, who were forty-one years old and their grandparents, who were in their' sixties, kept themselves. All four grandfathers could still throw a football out for a good, long pass and their grandmothers could catch the ball with the best of them. Their parents often continued to play, even after their kids had given up for the night. As much as they teased them about being So Old, the kids liked to see that the adults in their lives were happy and healthy and were probably going to live for a good, long time.

"It's my birthday, so just remember the penalty for 'touching too much'!" Phillip warned, grinning at the grownups.

His parents and aunts and uncles liked to take advantage of this game by 'touching' or even gently tackling, their soul-mates and then forgetting about the game going on around them. At his age, Phillip still did not understand the magic to be found in kissing girls, even though he had tried it a couple of times. He knew that in some distant future, he would want to have what his parents had with each other, but he was still unclear and uncomfortable with the details of finding and keeping such a relationship. He had many years to go until he reached his parent's forty-one years of age. He figured he had plenty of time yet.

Much later that night, Phillip came back from meeting his friends at the clearing. Tonight, he walked in through the front door and went in search of his parents, to tell them good night. Ever since that first time, seven years ago, when he had snuck out of his bedroom window, to go to the clearing, his parents had set a limit to his going there. He could only go two nights a week and during the school year, he could only go on Friday and Saturday nights. Knowing that his parents always knew where he was, he usually told them beforehand that he wanted to go. But every once in a while, he would slip out his window, just for the fun of it and just to show how cool they were, his parents would play along, pretending that they didn't know what he had been up to.

But tonight, he had told them that he wanted to go to the clearing and they had just told him to have fun, but to be careful. Now, he returned and went in search of them. He was almost sure that they would not yet be asleep, even though it was eleven o'clock. He followed his senses and found them in the library. His mother was leaning over his father's shoulder as he showed something to her and asked her advice.

'I want this, someday.' Phillip thought. 'This partnership with someone special.' Each of his parents had their own careers. His father was a family lawyer, the senior partner in the firm, which his grandparents had joined before his parents were even married. His mother was a microbiologist and a tenured professor at the University of New Mexico - Albuquerque. They both worked hard at their jobs, but then they came home and played equally as hard with him and his sisters, during the evening.

It was on nights like this, when he came home late, that he realized that his parents put in many more hours, after he and his sisters were usually asleep, caring for their community, their kingdom. As king and queen of the Antarian people, they carried the responsibility for making Airatan a thriving, safe and beautiful place to live. They settled the rare disagreements, which Earth law could not resolve. And they kept in touch with the few Antarians who still lived out in the Unified Alliance of Planets and with the Alliance Council, as well.

"Good night, Mom, Dad." Phillip said after watching them work together for a few moments. He walked over to kiss his mother on the cheek and hug them both. "Thanks for making my birthday so special!" He grinned.

"You're welcome. Go get a good night's sleep, now." His mother said.

"You too; don't work too hard." He said, before he left the library.

"We should be done here shortly." His father assured him.

As Phillip got ready for bed, his mind drifted back to the first time his friends, Marcus and Jimmy had taken him to the clearing...and to the little girl who had followed him and seen what she wasn't supposed to see, since she wasn't a part of the Community.

He had once known her first name, but that had slipped out of his memory over the past seven years. He could barely remember what she looked like. Long, straight, brown hair and light brown eyes. She had promised not to tell anyone what she had seen that night and apparently, she had kept that promise, because they had never heard from her or her family ever again. With that feeling of security, Phillip's memory of the little girl (Had there also been a younger brother?) had faded to join his memories of playing with other children, who's parents had come to visit his mom and dad, over the years.

In the master bedroom, Max and Liz were finally getting ready for bed. Liz held up an envelope.

"We received a letter and some photos from Mason and Cheryl, today."

"Oh great, let's see them." Max said, as they both got into bed and leaned against each other to read the letter and then glance through the photos.

"Looks like fourteen-year-old Suzie is still quite the swimmer. Here's a picture of her coming in first-place, in freestyle, at a swim-meet." Liz showed Max, the picture.

"Here's twelve-year-old Matt in a play with his summer theater club. I wonder if he is going to follow his parents into acting." Max wondered. "I'm glad he's just acting in school plays and hasn't become some child-star. Mason and Cheryl are doing their best to give their kids a normal childhood." Max said.

"He certainly had a lot of fun playing the evil knight that one summer all four of them came to stay with us, one night!" Liz chuckled and then they both remembered what else had happened that night.

'Obviously little Suzie never told anyone about what she saw, or we would have heard about it by now.' Max and Liz communicated silently, together. 'And Phil and Libby have never asked about them.' They assured themselves that the whole incident was long forgotten. If either of their children had asked about the Blair family, who had come to stay with them one summer night, they would have explained to their children why they could never see them again. How a reporter had found out that Mason and Cheryl were camping in the National Forests of New Mexico and had followed them to the Airatan Art Festival, which they had come to see for one day. No one in Airatan wanted reporters snooping around.

"I'll write Mason and Cheryl tomorrow, thank them for the pictures." Liz said. "Now, how about a back-rub, big-boy?" Max could only groan. "Roll over onto your stomach." Max did so and felt as if he was in Heaven, as Liz's small, but strong fingers massaged and rubbed their way up and down his well-muscled back.

"Oh Liz...that feels...so good." Max groaned out.

"How's your neck? Oh my gosh, Max, your neck and shoulders are so tense! I knew I shouldn't have let you work so late tonight and all the other nights this week." Liz said as she kneaded the muscles of his neck and shoulders.

"There was a lot to do." Max said, sleepily.

"Well, give some of it to your junior partners at the firm, or let me help you more around here." She lay down, half on top of Max, lined up against his bare back.

"You have plenty to do, too. I'll be fine. I will get Johnson to take on some more work at the firm, though. All I need from you is what you've always given me, your love and support and the pleasure of sleeping with you in my arms throughout the night." Max said, as he rolled over onto his back, beneath her and wrapped his arms around her, bringing his lovely Liz down fully on top of him.

"Mmm, yes this is pleasant, isn't it?" Liz said, arching back a little, so she could look into her beloved husband's eyes. "Oh, Max you look so tired. Close your eyes and go to sleep, Love. I'm right here. Let me look after you for once." She said as she gently stroked his forehead and cheeks.

"You look af'er me lots o' times." Max said, his speech slurred as he fell into a deep, dreamless, sleep. Liz kissed his closed eyelids and then his lips, before laying her head down on his chest. His arms stayed around her tiny body, even in sleep.

Earlier that same day, Beverly Hills, California.

"Sue, honey, what are you up to in there?" Cheryl Appleton-Blair asked when she found her fourteen-year-old daughter in the back of her closet.

"I wanted to find the T-shirt, Aunt Susan gave me last year, but it isn't in my dresser and it isn't hanging up in here, so I thought that it might have fallen off its hanger and onto the floor or something. Man, can you believe all of the junk that's in here?" She asked her mother.

"Maybe you could clean it out, when you get back from Aunt Susan's." Cheryl suggested.

"Maybe." Sue said, unenthusiastically. "Ah ha, here it is! It had fallen off of its hanger. Oh my gosh, look what I found under it." Sue backed out of her closet and into the light. "It's my old backpack, from when I was a little kid."

"You still are a little kid." Cheryl told her daughter. At fourteen, Sue was still a few inches short of her own petite height. "But you're still in your growing years, so keep drinking your milk and you'll be towering over your old mom, in no time!" Cheryl grinned at her daughter.

"Right Mom, I'll be sure to do that." Sue said.

"Well, I just came to tell you that lunch will be ready in about twenty minutes."

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." She told her mother, as Cheryl left to go back to the kitchen.

'Might as well start cleaning out my closet by pitching this.' Sue thought and tossed her old backpack across the room, towards the wicker basket, she used as a trashcan. It landed on top of the basket, but was too big to fall down into it.

"Oh rats!" Sue muttered as she went to push the nap-sack further into the trash.

Something stopped her though and instead of pushing it down, Sue pulled it back out of the basket and looked inside.

"Just as I thought, empty.' She thought to herself, but then she did a double-take. 'Wait a minute, what's that?' She reached in to touch something, which was peeking out of a small crack in the lining. It felt solid and she tried to pull it out. 'Oh it's stuck.' She thought and jiggled at it a moment before it would slide out of its hiding place.

"Oh my gosh, Oh My Gosh!" Sue squealed, as she saw what she had in her hands. It was a small piece of copper, in the shape of a V and had a simple map of a valley imprinted upon it.

The object brought back memories of dreams she had, had when she was younger. She had thought that the dreams might be based on memories, but could not remember clearly. What little she remembered looked surreal and made no sense, princesses, fairies, fireworks and ghostly images floating in a night's sky. And pennies, which melted themselves into copper mementos.

Had her parents read her one too many fairytales as a child? Was she remembering seeing her very first fireworks display? She remembered watching an old lady blow melted glass into lovely ornaments. Was she imagining that, that was how her piece of copper had been formed? Except where did the ghostly, figure eight fit in, then? And why did she always see a glowing hand passing over seven pennies, to create the little map in her hand?

Not that it was a very detailed map. She looked at it closely. The tiny squares and circles in the upper right 'leg' of the V, was supposed to symbolize a town and the two squiggly lines, running down the middle of each 'leg' of the V and converging at the apex, was supposed to symbolize two rivers. But Suzie had no idea what the tiny circle and the small triangle, down near the bottom of the V, meant.

She looked closer. The work 'promise' was printed between the circle and the triangle. What did that mean? Promise what? To remember? To forget? To keep a secret? But what secret?

'Oh never mind, I can't think any longer. My stomach is empty and my brain is overflowing with questions. I'll leave this alone for a while. Is lunch ready yet?' Suzie asked herself as she put the object into her jeans' pocket, left her room and walked towards the kitchen.

Part 3

Suzie's head was still overflowing with questions the next day. They circled around and around in her mind and gave her no peace. She had spent the rest of the day before, wandering around her home, or sitting, alone in her room.

"Honey, is there anything wrong?" Cheryl asked her daughter, after Sue had just picked at her favorite dinner, lasagna, made with Italian sausage, but had not really eaten any of it.

"Uh no, nothing's wrong, Mom." Sue answered.

"You're sure there's nothing you'd like to talk to me, or maybe your father about?" Cheryl persisted.

"No thank you. I'm fine." Sue said. "May I be excused, please?"

"Sure honey." Cheryl sighed.

Sue spent the rest of the night in her room and went to bed early, not waking up when her father, Mason Blair looked in on her later that night. She was still quiet and thoughtful the next morning, as she and her mother made the 1 1/2 hour drive to her Aunt Susan's house.

The drive usually excited Sue, because she loved spending time with her aunt and it gave her active imagination a chance to play 'spy'. Sue knew that they must not be followed by the Press, on their way to Aunt Susan's house. Aunt Susan and Uncle John, Susan's neighbor and old family friend to her father, had kept the friendship between themselves and the Blairs, a secret for almost twenty years. Their two houses were the only private places, outside of their own home, where they could rest and relax, without the chance of having the Press show up, and they guarded that secret, jealously. Sue usually made a big deal out of scanning each car they passed and watching out the back window to make sure that they weren't being followed.

But not today, Sue had narrowed all of her thoughts and questions down to just a few questions and bits of logic. Even if her memories were mixed up with dream-images, some of what she remembered must be true; otherwise she would not have the copper V-map in the first place. Nor would she even know what some of the symbols meant. Her instincts told her that the small piece of copper held many of the answers she was looking for...if only she could remember what it all meant.

The memento reminded her to keep a promise. Of what, Sue did not know, but keeping the promise meant that she could not really talk to anyone about it or even ask questions, which might give her some answers. This was her dilemma. How to find answers without being able to ask questions?

At last, she had come to a decision, which brought her some peace. She would ask no questions. Nor would she tell anyone what had been troubling her. She would try to act normally again, while she looked for answers, herself. Perhaps she could find pictures in the family photo-albums. If she and her family had visited this magical valley, they might have taken some pictures.

Sue came out of her thoughtful concentration to find herself sitting in her godmother's living room, alone. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that the drive here had passed by without her noticing it. She vaguely remembered her mother looking at her with worried eyes and having a murmured conversation with her aunt, about whether or not to leave Sue there, for her mother to stay with the two of them, or for her mother to go, hoping that Sue's staying in her home away from home, with her beloved aunt, might bring her around.

Sue arose and went in search of her aunt. She found her in her library, at the back of the house, typing away on her computer. She looked around the room; one of her favorites in this house, from the doorway, while her Aunt Susan had her back to her.

The library was not large, but every bit of wall-space had been covered in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, crammed with books and videos. The collection ran the gamut from romance; historical, contemporary and time travel, to mystery/intrigue, action/adventure, to science fiction. Then there were the books on architecture, gardening, history and all the cookbooks, which would not fit into the kitchen, as well as classic literature. There was one, comfy, upholstered chair, by a window, in which Sue could remember spending many happy hours, reading.

"Why do you have so many different kinds of books, Aunt Susan? And why do you keep them at all? Why not just check them out of the public library?" Sue asked, breaking the silence.

"Because sometimes I'm in the mood to read a romance and other times I want to read science fiction. I keep them, because having good books in your house is part of what makes it a home. And besides, public libraries aren't open at one o'clock in the morning, when I might want to reread a favorite story of mine." Susan answered, after turning around to face her goddaughter.

"Well, you look much better than you did half an hour ago. I was going to give you about fifteen more minutes of peace and quiet, before I came to try and speak to you. You had your mother and I worried. Is there anything I can help you with, Suzie? You know I'm a good listener. There is nothing you can't talk to me about."

"I know that, Aunt Susan." Sue replied to the only person she allowed, to call her Suzie. She remembered the many times her aunt had listened with total attention as she told her about what was going on in her life, or asked one of her hundreds of questions.

"I just had something on my mind. Something I just had to puzzle through for myself. I'm sorry that I worried you and Mom."

"Yes, your expression does look a great deal less troubled than it did when you arrived." Aunt Susan noted. "Perhaps you'll call your mother this evening?" Sue nodded. "If you've found your answers, then we won't speak of this again, but if you ever need to talk..."

"I'll come to you." Sue smiled.

"Good. Now are you ready to have some fun?"

"Yeah!"

"Here's what I thought we might do this weekend..."

"Aunt Susan?" Sue asked, late, the next afternoon. They had, had a fun-filled day the day before and now they were taking it easy, reading, chatting and watching videos, during which, Sue had started to think again.

"Yes, Suzie?" Her aunt came up out of the book she was reading.

"Do you have a jeweler?"

"Yes. Why did you want to go shopping? I'm afraid they aren't open on Sundays, but perhaps the next time you come for a visit..."

"No, I mean, yes, you know I love to shop, but that's not why I asked. I have an object, and I was wondering if your jeweler could make it into a pendant for me."

"Probably, what is this object? May I see it?"

Sue reached into her pant's pocket and brought out the piece of copper. The two ladies had been sitting on the sofa, with their backs up against each arm, and their legs stretched out towards the middle of the sofa. Suzie handed the copper-V to her aunt.

"Oh, this is beautiful, Suzie." Her aunt exclaimed. "Where did you get it?"

"I think I got it at some art fair, when I was little. I don't really remember. I just found it yesterday, when I was cleaning out my closet." She said, casually. "I just thought it might make a nice pendent."

"Which way would you like it to hang; with the point up, or down?"

"I think with it pointing down, so that it looks like a V. I have a chain, just the right length, so that I can tuck it inside my shirt, if I want to."

"If you want it to hang like a V, you won't want the chain to run between the two legs of the V, would you? Wouldn't you rather have one end of the chain start at the top of one leg, circle around your neck and end at the top of the other leg? I could have a clasp put in the middle of the chain, at the back of your neck." Aunt Susan suggested.

"Oh yes. That sounds great! But how much would a new chain cost? I don't have mine with me?"

"Don't you worry about it, why don't I make this an early birthday present for you?" Aunt Susan offered, smiling.

"Oh Aunt Sue, would you? That would be so great of you! Thank you." Sue exclaimed, grinning.

"Alright, I'll take it to my jeweler tomorrow, after work. Speaking of tomorrow, I'm afraid that your dad will be here soon, to pick you up, so that you can attend school tomorrow."

"Oh." Sue said, disappointed. Not with the idea of seeing her father, or even having to go to school the next day, but with the realization of this special time with her aunt, was almost over.

"I hate leaving you. We always have so much fun together. Not that I don't have fun at home, or when Mom and Dad's co-stars and friends from "Among Us' come over, but with them it's always loud and noisy. I like it here with you, where it's peaceful and it's more one-on-one." Sue complained.

"I hate to see you leave, as well, sweetie, but you'll be back soon."

Less than an hour later, Mason Blair, complete with baseball cap and sunglasses, arrived at Susan's house, to pick up his daughter. He instantly saw the change in her, from how Cheryl had described her to him, Friday night. He looked gratefully over at Susan.

"I see your magical oasis has done its trick again, Susan. My daughter is back to her happy self again." He said, as he extended his arms to Suzie, for a hug, then he gave a quick hug to Susan.

"Thank you for always being here for us. I wish we could both stay for a little while, but..."

"But you have a long drive ahead of you. Have a safe one." Susan said, understandably, hugging them both again, before seeing them off. "Hope to see all of you again, soon." She called and they waved back at her from the car.

Susan went back into her home and quickly cleaned the guest room, stripping the sheets off of the bed and taking the towels out of the bathroom. Knowing herself well, Susan knew that if she did not do this right away, it would not get done until just before another guest was to arrive. After her guest suite, as she like to call it, was put to rights, Susan settle down at her computer. She needed to find a gift for another friend's birthday and figured that the internet would be a good place to look. As she sat down, she felt the copper-V in her pocket and pulled it out.

She took a closer look at it, noticing the two waving lines, which ran down the middle of each leg of the V. The circles and squares clustered together on the upper right-hand leg of the V. Then she noticed the small circle and triangle, down near the apex of the V, as well as the work 'promise' between the two symbols.

'What does that mean?' She wondered to herself. 'What do any of these markings mean? Or, are they just random shapes on a piece of copper?' She placed the pendant-to-be on her desk and concentrated on searching the Web.

Susan had been unsuccessful in finding something special to send her friend, when she happened upon the website of an artist's community, out in New Mexico.

'Mmmm, the Airatan Artist Community, this looks promising. Oh my goodness, how beautiful their work is!' Sue thought to herself, as she glanced at several sample pictures of artwork, offered by the community's artisans.

'This furniture is gorgeous! The woods they use, the carving...I'm going to start drooling on my keyboard any minute now!' Sue thought, as she searched the site, in more detail.

'Forget my friend's birthday present; I'm going to buy one of everything for myself! Where is this town located? They give a map...' Sue clicked on a button and a map of northern New Mexico came up. 'Wow, they're right in the middle of the National Forest. I wonder how they managed that. They're around 1 1/2 hours northwest of Albuquerque.'

On the map, she zoomed in on the town itself. It showed the shops and studios for the artisans, clustered together, where one of the valley's two rivers came bubbling out of the rock, to run down one side of the V-shaped valley to join the second river, before they both went underground again. Susan thought the two rivers were interesting. She knew from her college geology courses that most rivers flow downstream, often joining with one or more other rivers, along the way. The joined rivers, in turn flow further downstream and so on and so on, forming endless chains that look like the letter Y. She knew that it was rare for two rivers to go back underground to form a V-shaped valley, totally enclosed within its mountain walls.

'Wait a minute.' Susan thought to herself, looking closely at the map. 'Two rivers, running down the middle of two valleys, to join together at the apex, before going back underground and a village of artisans clustered together in the upper right-hand leg of the valley.' Susan picked up the small piece of copper.

'Could this be a map of Airatan?' She wondered. A piece of information called out from her memory, for attention.

'Have I heard of this town before?' She asked herself and then remembered where she had heard of it before.

Susan stayed linked to the Airatan website, but shrank the window down. Then she opened a file on her computer, which was more like a photo-album and scrap-book. It contained every bit of information about the careers and personal lives of Mason Blair and Cheryl Appleton, which she had ever seen published in newspapers or magazines. She had gathered all of the articles and pictures into this file, over the years. She herself kept the file for two reasons only. Mason and Cheryl were her friends and she did enjoy reading about them and seeing pictures of them, but the real reason she kept this extensive file, was for the children, Suzie and Matt. She figured that someday in the future, they would want a record of what their parents had done, over the years. She had already shown many of the pictures to them, during their visits to her house.

She opened up a search-box and typed in the word 'Airatan'. Up came a picture and a small article, from seven years ago. 'Ah, I thought that name sounded familiar.' She said to herself. 'Mason and Cheryl took the kids camping and visited the Airatan Art Festival one day, where a photographer had found them and taken several pictures.' She frowned in distaste. She felt it was shameful, how the Press never seamed to allow celebrities any privacy. Even though she did read the articles they wrote and kept the pictures they took, she just did not approve of the measures; some reporters took to get their stories.

The file came in handy now, though, containing as it did, several pictures of the Blair family, seeing the sights of Airatan. The pictures, with many of the town's fanciful buildings in the background, set off another memory in Susan's mind. She looked around her library, trying to find a clue to the memory's origin. Half of a memory popped into her head and she turned back to her computer and opened up another file, containing the catalog, which listed all of the videos and DVDs she owned. In the spreadsheet, she filtered out all but her science-fiction movies. Then she scanned the column, where she sometimes made notes about a movie's extra special scenery or music. Susan found what she was looking for, near the top.

''Among Them', of course.' She thought to herself. 'But 'Among Them' was the name of the TV series; one of my favorites, but the movie was titled...'The Royal Four, Among Them.' And that is what I was looking for.' She got up and walked over to the shelf where her movie DVDs were shelved and pulled out the one she was looking for.

'Let me watch this for a minute.' She thought, as she walked towards the living room. She popped the DVD into her player, turned on the TV and sat down nearby, with the remote in her hand.

'The spot I'm looking for is coming up.' She thought and a few moments later, the scenes she was looking for, played across her screen.

"Ah, I was right. The houses and buildings in this movie look exactly like the ones, built in Airatan, even down to the decorations.

'I know that these movies were based on the books by Eric Petersen, one of my favorite sci-fi authors. I wonder if he had anything to do with the scenery design.' Susan clicked fast-forwarded to the end of the movie and carefully read the credits.

'Yes, Eric Petersen is listed as a creative consultant, as well as...well this is interesting...Olaus Petersen is also listed.' Susan ejected the movie and walked back to her library.

'Oh my goodness. No wonder that architecture looked familiar to me. It was designed by one of my favorite architects, Olaus Petersen.'

Susan went to the bookshelves, which held her architecture collection and pulled out a large book. She flipped to the inside, back-cover, where the author's biography was printed, under a black and white picture of the famous architect.

'Olaus Petersen was born in Sweden, but immigrated to the States in 2007. He now resides in Airatan, New Mexico, a town he helped to design. He is a professor of architecture at the University of New Mexico, at Albuquerque, where he has built up quite a following.' The biography noted.

'Could Eric Petersen and Olaus Petersen be related?' She asked herself and walked over to the shelves, which housed her science-fiction collection and pulled off one of his books. Once again, Susan turned to the inside, back-cover of the book and read Eric Petersen's brief biography.

'Eric Petersen currently resides in Sweden and is busy writing his thirtieth and what is believed to be his last book, 'Among Us'.'

'Hmm, the biography says that Eric is living in Sweden.' Susan flipped to the verso page, at the beginning of each book.

'But 'The Royal Four of Antar' was written in 2004 and Olaus Petersen's book was written in 2020, four years ago. Eric could be living in the States now, especially since he had so much to do with the production of the movie and TV series, 'Among Us', from 2008, to 2013.' Susan reasoned.

'So, it would make sense that Eric Petersen could have found his inspiration for the other-worldly palaces and buildings in his books, from Olaus' designs. Then Olaus was a creative consultant for the movie, at about the same time he was designing and building the small town, Airatan. Well, that mystery is solved. No alien influences, just family connections can explain the similarities between the movie and the town.' Susan thought to herself, as she put the DVD and science fiction book back on their shelves. She kept the architectural book out, though, planning to look through it later.

Indeed, later that night, Susan was sitting up in bed, slowly glancing at each page in the book.

'These houses and buildings are truly works of art.' She thought to herself.

'They are as Olaus Petersen describes them; sculptures you live in.' She marveled at the pictures in the book. Susan glanced at a page before turning to the next one and then quickly turned the page back to take a second look.

'What is Mason doing in a picture with Olaus Petersen?' She asked herself, as she read the caption under the picture.

'This house, which was the first one built in Airatan and is one of its pride and joys, was built for Airatan's mayor, Maxell Evans, shown here with the architect.'

"Oh my goodness, that man is the spitting-image of Mason Blair!" Susan exclaimed out loud, as she looked closely at the picture, at both the man and the house.

The house was indeed, magnificent, made with brown brick for the walls and white cement, for the domes, peaks and valleys of the extensive roof-line. She could see several stained-glass windows, lit from within, which were works of art in themselves. In fact, one piece of stained-glass especially, caught her attention. She could not see it well, but she was almost certain that the front door had stained-glass with some sort of V-shaped design or crest in it. Susan's curiosity was truly piqued now and she untangled herself from the bed sheets, so that she could get up and go into her library again. She had a magnifying glass in the library and she took another look at the front door's design under magnification. What she saw only whetted her appetite.

'This is so strange. I'm almost certain that I've seen that design before.' Susan thought, as she glanced at a piece of computer equipment, which she rarely ever used. When she had upgraded her computer, six month's before, the store was having a deal in which they were including a scanner with the upgrade.

'Maybe I could blow up this picture so that I can see the front door better.' Sue thought, as she switched on her computer.

A few moments later, her equipment was warmed up and ready to use. She placed the book page, face down on the scanner's glass surface and let the equipment do its thing. A short time later, the picture appeared on her computer screen.

'This is silly, it's eleven o'clock at night and I have to go to work early tomorrow morning.' Susan grumbled to herself, but she continued with her work.

First, she zoomed in on the figure of Max Evans, enlarging it until she could easily see the color of his eyes and his cute, large-lobed ears, which poked out from under his hair a little.

'He Does look exactly like Mason. I wonder if they could be related in any way. But I've met the rest of Mason's family and none of them look especially like him. Nothing like this man resembles Mason, anyway.' Next, Susan zoomed in on the stained-glass in the front door of the Evans' house.

"Oh my goodness, what a beautiful piece of stained-glass!" Susan exclaimed out loud, as she inspected it in detail.

'But I'm certain that I've seen that design somewhere before.' She thought to herself and glanced around her library, once again, looking for a clue.

Her eyes fastened on Eric Petersen's books and she got up to go take 'The Royal Four of Antar' off the self again. She started at the front of the book and looked through the pages coming upon that which she was looking for, quickly. The caption under the picture stated that it was the Royal Antarian Crest for the King and Queen of Antar.

'The mayor of this tiny, little town, in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico has a royal crest on his front door. Okay, is that utter and complete arrogance on his part, or have I just stepped into the Twilight Zone?' She asked herself.

'Max Evans doesn't look arrogant in this picture, though.' Susan looked at the book again. He was wearing well-worn jeans, a denim work shirt and sneakers. He had an arm around the older man's shoulder, like a son would stand with his father. Max Evans also had an open, honest-looking face and a great smile. He looked down right handsome and sexy, but not arrogant.

'I've never heard anything about Antarian-themed parks or camps, as I remember hearing about for Klingon enthusiasts in the 1990s.' Susan thought to herself and then she allowed her sci-fi/fantasy- oriented mind to wander.

'Their architecture and artwork really struck me as 'other-worldly'. They live out in the middle of nowhere, hidden away within 10,000 foot high, mountain walls and from what I read on their website, the town was founded in 2007 and they started to host their art festival in 2013, only six years later. To my way of thinking, that's down right fast. Too fast. There's no way they could have popped in from...' Susan pointed a finger up towards her ceiling. 'Creating a town almost in the blink of an eye, out of whole-cloth, so to speak...could they?' She wondered. Then a grin cracked her face and she started to laugh, almost hysterically.

'Oh Susan, that just shows how much you need a vacation.' She told herself. 'You read 'fiction' about aliens and fairies, but this is the real world we are talking about here!' Still laughing, she closed down her computer, put the books away and went to bed.

A couple hours later, Susan sat bolt-upright in her bed, wide awake from one more bit of memory, which had just come to her, while she slept.

"Wait a minute, wait just a minute..." She exclaimed as she got out of bed once more and raced into her library. She went directly to her copies of Eric Petersen's books and pulled down 'The Royal Four of Antar' once again.

"Where did I see...?" She muttered to herself, as she scanned the pages. "Ah ha, here it is!" She exclaimed. "Airatan was the name of the capital city on Antar, where the King and Queen had their home. Could it be? Could they really be?" She asked herself out loud, as she plopped down into the comfy chair in the library and just starred into space for some time, thinking, before finally falling asleep.

Part 4

Susan Nelson woke up Monday morning and found herself slumped in her home library's upholstered chair.

'Oh how did I end up here?' She asked herself and then looked down at the book in her lap.

'Oh yeah, now I remember. I woke up in the middle of the night remembering that most of Eric Petersen's Antarian books mention that Airatan was the name of the capital city on the planet, Antar. I began to really think about all of the connections and coincidences between the town of Airatan, New Mexico, its citizens and the books, the movie and TV series, written or created by Eric Petersen and finally fell asleep in this chair.'

'But wouldn't it be interesting if the townsfolk of Airatan were really all Antarians? Aliens who came to Earth and founded their own little community there, among the mountains and forests of northern New Mexico? They created the artist's community so that they could share their culture with us, peacefully. And Eric Petersen wrote parts of their history down in the form of a science-fiction story so that others besides themselves might learn about them even if they think that it's all make believe. The name Antar would live on.' Susan sat back quietly for a few moments, lost in her fantasy and then started to grin and chuckle.

'What an imagination I have!' She laughed at herself. 'As much as my science-fiction-self would like that to be true, my rational, logical self knows that, that kind of thing just does not happen here on Earth. There is no U.S.S. Enterprise out there in space. Not yet, anyway! As for that little copper V Suzie gave me, her parents probably bought it for her at the Airatan Art Festival seven years ago. End of subject. There need be no other explanation for her having the memento and the rest is all coincidence.' Susan told herself as she put Eric Petersen's book away, one more time and went to take a shower and get ready for work.

Airatan, New Mexico, One week later.

Phillip and his two sisters Libby and Dee walked over to the Guerin house, Saturday morning, a week after Phillip's fourteenth birthday.

"It's too bad that Aunt Isabel, Uncle Alex, Aunt Tess and Uncle Kyle had to go home so soon after your birthday and take Judy, Charlie, Nancy and Jeff with them." Libby said, dejectedly, mentioning the names of her four cousins and friends, who had flown in for Phillip's birthday. The Whitman's, from Silicon Valley, where Uncle Alex was a computer programmer and Aunt Isabel was a model. The Valentis, from Roswell, where Aunt Tess part owned and managed the Crashdown Café and Uncle Kyle was Roswell's sheriff, now that all of their parents were retired and split their time between Roswell and Airatan.

"They'll probably be back next month for Halloween, like always. It's an easy trip if the Community's plane picks them up." Dee reminded her sister, even though she missed her extended family and friends, as well.

"Hey you guys." Aunt Maria called out, from where she was weeding her vegetable garden.

"Hey Aunt Maria." The three kids called back.

"Is Uncle Michael in his studio?" Libby, a budding artist, asked.

"Yes and he told me that he'll need your help today, so go on back." Maria answered.

"Okay, see you guys later." Libby told her brother and sister.

"Marc and Amy are around here someplace. You know that all three of you are to stay and have lunch with us, since your father is to announce his ruling in the Doug Maisels matter."

"Yeah, Mom told us. Thanks Aunt Maria." Phillip said. He would have liked to have stayed and watched his father give his ruling, but the procedure was open to only those directly involved in the case. He would ask his father about it later.

"Hey you two, would you like to play some volleyball?" Jimmy called out, from the side of the house.

"Yeah!" Both sister and brother yelled and ran to where their friends were waiting to play.

Office of His Royal Highness, King of the Antarian People, Maxwell Evans.

Liz's desk had been pushed into a far corner and chairs had been brought into the library/office and placed in rows, facing Max's desk, where he sat, with Liz standing behind him. For this ruling, they both wore their white robes, with the gold embroidery running down the front and around the floor-length hem and with the Royal Antarian Crest emblazoned below their left shoulders. They were also wearing their Royal Circlets on their heads; bands of gold imprinted with symbols of every planet on which Antarians lived, including Earth. These symbols represented all of the Antarians, over whom Max and Liz ruled as king and queen. These hearings were one of the few occasions when they took on their formal, royal personas, preferring as they did to be treated like everyone else, rather than as royalty. Max cleared his throat and started the proceedings.

"The Queen and I have heard your testimony, witnessed the illegal act through the Connection and have studied our laws and those of the Alliance. We are ready to give our ruling. Douglas Maisels, are you prepared to hear your sentence?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The young man said, solemnly.

"Very well. Douglas Maisels, you have been accused and found guilty of using your mental powers to mind-warp Chris Sloan, here to break into Nasus' studio and rob her of 800.00, held there. You are half Antarian and half Speerk, a species who has the power to mind-warp, where Antarians cannot. Therefore we searched Alliance law for presidents to your crime. In the Alliance, mind-warping is considered to be a combined crime. One of invasion of privacy, as you force your way into the depths of your victim's mind, in order to control them against their will and without their knowledge. And of coercion to commit a crime, because why else would you have to force a person to do something against their will, if not to commit a crime." Max continued.

"Alliance law recommends two years in jail, but there are several circumstances we must take into account, here in Airatan. Your parents are good, decent members of this community. This is your first offence at all, the Connection verified that. You have just graduated from college at the top of your business school and you have shown true remorse for your actions. Lastly, this is a very small town and everyone will have their eyes on you, within the law, to make sure this never happens again."

"Therefore, using the Connection, you will confess what you have done and publicly apologize to Chris Sloan and to Nasus, so that every Antarian can hear you. The 800.00 has already been returned, but you will work for Nasus in the evenings and on the weekends, after you finish your managerial position in your parent's clothing design studio, until you have worked off an additional 800.00. Is that acceptable to you, Mr. Sloan, Nasus?" Max asked formally.

"Yes, Your Highness, thank you." They both said.

"Is your sentence understood and accepted, Mr. Maisels?" Max asked.

"Yes, Your Highness." Doug answered, quietly.

"Very well, you will work out the details of your sentence with Nasus, but she or Chris will come to us if there are any problems, understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness." They all said.

"These proceedings are concluded." Max said, formally as he deactivated the orb, which had been recording the meeting.

Liz and Max came out from behind the desk and shook hands with everyone involved, including young Mr. Maisels, who bowed formally over their clasped hands, before leaving with his parents. Max and Liz then showed Chris Sloan, his family, Nasus and her mate, Nohtanoj out their front door, a short time later. After they had closed the door, Max took Liz into his strong arms.

"It's only one o'clock and the kids will be at Michael and Maria's for a couple more hours at least. Would you like to get out of these robes and..."

"Mmmm, I'd love to. How about a bubble bath first? Or would you rather have one...later?" She asked, pressing her body to his and stroking Max's chest through the material of his robe.

"I'll run the water if you'll take care of the music and get some...strawberries?" He wiggled his eyebrows, suggestively.

"No whipped cream?" Liz asked, disappointed.

"If you'd like, I think your skin is already sweet enough." Max said.

"I'll be there in five minutes!" Liz said and ran for the fruit.

An hour later, Jimmy, Amy, Dee, Libby and Phillip came into the house through one of the family room's French doors.

"Let me get my baseball-mitt and I'll be right back. You guys could pack some sodas into a cooler, for us to take with us, if you'd like." Dee said, as she headed for her room. A moment later, she came running back.

"Oh man, Mom and Dad are doing you-know-what, in their room. I heard 'The First Time, Ever I Saw Your Face', coming through their closed bedroom door."

"In the middle of the day?" Fourteen-year-old Phillip asked and his sister nodded.

This response was more of an imitation of his friend's attitudes towards PDAs, than his own. Deep down, Phillip and his sisters all enjoyed watching the many ways in which their parents demonstrated their love for one another and their children. The shared glances, hugs, little touches, quick (and not so quick) kisses, endearments and many other things they did for each other and their family, made their lives and this home a warm and happy place to live in.

"What is it with that music they so often play, when they are doing whatever they are actually doing in there?" Twelve-year-old Libby asked. She knew generally what married couples do behind closed doors and how babies are made, but nothing beyond those general ideas.

"Mom told me once, that, that is the music Dad picked out and played for the very first time they ever made love. It reminds them of that very special night, she said." Dee sighed at such a romantic idea.

Well why don't we leave and give them some privacy." Phillip suggested, itching to go and play some baseball. His sisters and friends agreed and they left the way they had come, forgetting to take any sodas.

Late that night, the Connection woke every adult in Airatan, out of their sleep. The Connection was a psychic link, between every Antarian, in Airatan, across the Earth and out into space. It had been surprisingly created during Max and Liz's coronation ceremony, years before. Each person had complete privacy, but was also able to communicate with their children, their mate, on a family frequency, on up to a community-wide frequency. This communal connection was powered by the subconscious minds of hundreds of Antarians, which allowed the entire population to be constantly on the alert to any danger, natural or manmade, without taking away their concentration from other, more important and everyday concerns.

The Connection had sensed a lone helicopter experiencing sudden engine troubles. The quickly awakening Community reached out, psychically, trying to help the faltering craft, but were only able to slow it down some. They watched as it fell from the skies and crashed into the trees in the National Forest, on the other side of one of the Valley's mountainous walls.

The Community could sense life-signs among the crew and flames spreading out from the downed craft. Emergency training sprang into use within minutes. Fire crews assembled and drove out through the small, narrow tunnels, which had been excavated through the mountain walls every half mile or so, for quick access to the slopes outside the valley. Max, Liz and other emergency medical teams joined them, with an urgent need to reach the wounded helicopter crew as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, General Sam Jones was hitching a ride on another army helicopter, flying several miles away. He heard the one S.O.S. message, which the crew of the failing helicopter was able to send out, before it crashed. He ordered the pilot to change course, to search for the downed chopper. They spotted the crash site, a short time later and Sam ordered the pilot, co-pilot and crewman to drop him off and then go aloft again to watch the rescue attempt from above. They could all see that some other emergency crew had arrived to help, but the injured might need to be flown to Albuquerque for medical treatment. The helicopter had a stretcher, which could be winched down from above and then could lift a wounded person back up into the cabin of the helicopter. Sam took their first-aid kit and started hiking into the crash site, from the nearest road, the helicopter could set him down on.

Back at the crash site, Max, Liz and their people arrived at the scene. They all carried the proper fire and first-aid equipment, but Max set the firefighters to extinguishing the flames, using their powers, which obviously were more efficient. This was September and they were in the middle of forest-fire season. He did not want to see acres and acres of forest go up in flames from a man-made source.

The medical teams fanned out to find the crew. Because the Community was able to slow the decent of the falling helicopter, the two crewmen still in the chopper were in pretty good shape, with broken bones, but nothing more serious. The third crewmember had not been so lucky, however.

"Max, Liz, over here." Johann called, from where he had found the third man, two hundred feet or so from the crash. Max and Liz ran over.

"Looks like some sort of explosion might have thrown him out of the helicopter before it crashed. He has burns, broken bones, just about everywhere; spine, legs, arm, a badly damaged spleen, broken ribs, one of which has pierced his lung, deflating it and he is already going into shock. He is not going to make it using the first-aid supplies we brought with us...unless we do something else to help him." Johann reported hesitantly.

"He needs to be healed." Liz said, urgently.

"But if he tells anyone what we did..." Johann cautioned.

"He's unconscious. He won't know what we did to him. I'll only heal what absolutely needs to be healed." Max made the decision and started to place his open right palm over the poor man.

"Uh Max, wait a minute; someone's coming. Not one of us, but I think it's...General Sam Jones." Johann sensed a movement before the General broke his way through the trees, nearby.

"Sam, good to see you, did you bring help?" Max rose up from his crouched position to greet his friend.

"I brought our first-aid kit and I'm well trained. My helicopter is hovering over there, out of the way, so its blades don't stir up a wind down here. We can medivac everyone into the University Medical Center, in Albuquerque, if necessary." He said.

"Great, why don't you go check on the two crewmembers, who were still in the chopper?" Max suggested, trying to steer the General away from what Max needed to do, but what Sam could not be allowed to see. No luck there.

"That's Sgt. Miles Howell you're working on. He was a part of one of my antiterrorist units, when I was stationed in Europe." Sam squatted down by the badly injured man. "How is he?"

"Pretty bad, he's burned; he seems to have numerous broken bones. We think he's going into shock. Why don't you go and call your chopper in to take him to Albuquerque." Max suggested, trying to get his unknowing friend to step away from the sergeant long enough for him to heal what urgently needed to be healed, if the man was to live.

Sam Jones hesitated a moment, looking intently at the young man beside him, listening to the instincts he had always had about Max Evans, ever since he had met him, so long ago, that there was something special about Max, something noble. Sam had always felt as though he were in the presence of someone who outranked him, maybe even someone royal, whenever he was near the younger man.

"Max, could I speak to you for a moment, privately?"

"We don't have time. We need to get Sgt. Howell on that chopper." Max exclaimed.

"Please, Max." Sam gestured him a few feet away, just out of earshot, or so he thought.

"Max, ever since I met you, so many years ago, my gut has been telling me that there is something special about you. Not to sound hokey or anything, but you almost have an aura, an energy about you. I've always felt it whenever I've seen you. It has always made me feel as though...you could do things...the rest of us can't." Sam paused for a second.

"Max, Miles Howell is a good man, a good soldier and father. He has a wife, three kids and another on the way. If there is anything, anything you can do to help him...I will do anything to repay you. I'm worried that he won't make the trip, otherwise." Sam pleaded, urgently. Max hesitated for a moment...looking around him at the activity near the chopper, to Johann, to Liz.

'Sam is a good man too; I think we can trust him.' Liz told Max, through their psychic connection. Other voices, agreeing with Liz, came through the Connection, but the people of Airatan would trust their king and queen's judgment, whether or not to risk all of them to save one man's life.

"I have this gift...to heal. I was about to use it, when you came." Max made his decision quickly and turned back to his patient.

"He's in worse shape than we told you at first, but I'll try to heal as much of his serious injuries as possible, then you can fly him out to Albuquerque, for any other treatment he'll need." Sam nodded.

"I take it that Liz and Johann know about your gift?"

"Yes." Was all Max said, as he concentrated on what he needed to do before placing his palm on the sergeant's chest.

Max quickly sensed that Miles Howell was very close to death. There was so much wrong with him, Max was not sure that he would be able to heal him in time. He healed one injury and then moved onto the next. Soon though, he could feel his power weakening. Max tried to draw on the Connections' power supply, but he was expending his energy faster than the Connection could replenish it. Johann moved in to help, but Max ordered him not to expose himself to the General. Max continued to heal Sgt. Howell, but he was struggling. Finally, Johann could follow his king's orders no longer and placed is hand over Max's. Several other Antarians came over, against orders, as well and placed their hands on top of Max's and Johann's.

Sam Jones looked on in wonder, as Max Evans placed his hand on Miles' chest and it began to glow. Soon, however, it became apparent that Max was weakening. That was when the real surprise happened. Johann and several others came over, obviously against Max's wishes, even though he never said a work, and placed their glowing hands on top of his. He glanced up to see Liz Evans with her hands gripping her husband's shoulders, her eyes closed in concentration and her head thrown back. Somehow she was giving support to Max, as well.

'It isn't just Max. It was never just Max.' Sam thought to himself. 'But he is the leader, he has to be. The way everyone treats him and Liz; deferentially, protectively. Just as he tried to protect them by making me think that he was the only one who was 'different'.'

"Argh!" Max exclaimed, coming out of his concentrated trance along with the others.

"That's all we can do for now. He'll be safe to transport to a hospital now. There is still quite a bit to be treated. Can you call your helicopter in, General?" Max asked formally, knowing what was to come once the injured had been taken care of.

Sam nodded and reached for his radio and called the chopper in. He was shocked to see that only fifteen minutes had passed by. The chopper came into view and hovered, while its metal-mesh basket was winched down and each of the patients were carefully placed inside and lifted up into the chopper. Sam ordered the pilot to fly directly to the nearest emergency room.

"We would have called in our own chopper to take the worst case to a hospital and taken the rest to our clinic, where we have an excellent medical team, but under the circumstances, it's probably better that none of them were taken into Airatan. I suspect that you have quite a few questions, General."

"Yes I do, but Max, we've been friends for years now. I know that you're a good man. That your...people are decent and kind and what I saw here, tonight only confirms that to me. You use whatever gifts you have for good. You don't have to worry, whatever you choose to tell me, will go no further."

Max could only nod and lead him to one of their jeeps. He, Liz and Sam got in and headed back to their house, leaving the other crew members to clean up and clear out.

Sometime later, Max, Liz and Sam sat in the library as Max finished up the story of who he was, who they all were, their discovery of each other, their origins, the other Antarians living in Sweden and out in space. He told the story behind the buying of this valley, when they had met the then Colonel Sam Jones, the immigration of their people from Sweden and outer space and the building of this community. Sam sat transfixed for a few moments after Max finished speaking.

"Incredible, simply incredible; an entire community of aliens, living here on a defunct military base. Growing hydroponics down in the base's secret, underground complex, turning the old missile silos into artist's studios. And you and Liz are the king and queen of all of these people?" Max and Liz nodded, intensely watching his reaction.

"I don't know what else I can say at this point. I am numb. I will have plenty of questions once I've had the chance to think about all of this, perhaps on your couch for the rest of the night?" Sam suggested."

"Uh, sure, Sam." Max said.

"But I'll reiterate what I said out in the forest. What you have told me will never go any further."

"Thank you, Sam." Max said and the two men shook hands and Liz hugged Sam.

"Let's get you settled on the couch then, since it's too late to move any of the kids out of their rooms, tonight." Liz said.

The next morning, Sam was awoken by the sound of bare feet quietly sneaking up on him. He peeked out from between his eyelids, to see young Dee Evans tip-toeing her way across the family room floor, towards him. All of a sudden though, Liz appeared in the doorway to the bedroom wing, her eyes pinning her young daughter from behind. She had not said one word, out loud anyway, when Dee spun around in surprise.

Sam watched as a silent conversation must have taken place through this connection, Max told him about last night. Liz had her hands on her hips while staring at her daughter for a moment and then Dee's head and shoulders drooped and she walked slowly over to her mother, who hugged her briefly and then sent her back to her bedroom with a swat to her bottom, as she passed by. Liz glanced over to where Sam was still pretending to sleep and then went back towards her bedroom, as well.

'Well, that was an interesting sight to see first thing in the morning.' He thought to himself. 'But in the interest of peace, I had better get up.' His rising allowed the children to come out of their bedrooms and shortly thereafter, everyone was sitting down to breakfast.

"So, Uncle Sam, are you going to keep our secret?" Libby asked all of a sudden.

"Of course I am, Libby. I told your mother and father that last night. I just have a few questions, which have been on my mind for years now."

"What are they?" Max asked.

"I've always wondered about the connection and coincidences that there are between you and Liz, Mason Blair and Cheryl Appleton, the books, movies and TV series."

"Eric Petersen, the author of the Antarian books, is one of us. He started to write those years ago, when he thought that he and his family were the only Antarian survivors on Earth. He wanted something of Antar to live on, even if it was in the form of science-fiction. Each of those books tells a part of our planet's history."

"And so 'The Royal Four' told the true story about how your planet, Antar was destroyed by your sun, Antaria, when it went nova. It all happened, your parents putting you children into tiny ships and sending you out into space, hoping against hope that you would find a safe place to live?"

"Yes." Was all Max could say.

"And then they made the movie from that book. You went to see it didn't you?"

"Yes, we did." Sam could hear the emotion in Max's voice, when he answered.

"But I take it that everything in 'Among Us' was make-believe, right? What you told me last night doesn't fit with what Eric wrote in that book."

"That's correct. All four of us were still in our stasis chambers until 1988 and 1989. We didn't even meet Eric until after 'Among Us' was published. Eric was just writing what he hoped had happened to us, in his book."

"Then how did Mason and Cheryl, who look exactly like the two of you, get chosen to play your characters?"

"That was an incredible coincidence and quite a shock to me and Liz; when we literally bumped into them, down in Roswell, a few days before our wedding, let me tell you!" Max said.

"Remember also, that even though Max and Isabel look exactly like their parents, Wellmax and Belisa, now that they're grown up, neither Eric, nor his father, Tage would have known that, because they were only six years old when they left Antar. It was truly a coincidence that Eric wrote Max's character, Zan aka Matt Devon, as looking just like his father, Wellmax. He then used Wellmax's features to describe Zan as well and gave that description to the casting director, but Eric had nothing to do with choosing the actors. Who could guess that they would find Mason Blair to play the part of Zan, or Cheryl Appleton to play Zan's soul-mate, a completely fictitious character, as far as Eric was concerned?"

"Incredible!" Sam shook his head in wonder, while he grinned. "So, have you kept in touch with Mason and Cheryl? I understand that they married several years ago."

"We've only been able to keep in touch with them indirectly, through mail. All those years ago, when we were in Roswell for our wedding, a photographer mistakenly took our pictures, thinking that we were Mason and Cheryl, we didn't want a repeat of that." Max answered.

"Well, and there was the time, seven years ago, when they and their two children, came to Airatan by chance, during our art festival. We were able to visit and catch up with them for one evening, but the next day they had to leave. A few weeks later, they send word that a photographer had followed them to Airatan and taken some pictures, of them this time, but we didn't want that photographer to have reason to come back, so they've never been able to visit us since then." Liz said, sadly.

"That is rotten luck. From what I've read in magazines, they seem like a really nice couple and devoted parents." Sam said. "Anyway, let me change the subject to what I hope will be a more pleasant topic. I've always wanted to buy some land in this valley and I was wondering if there was any way I might be allowed to do so, now that I know your secret. I would build a vacation home for now, but I plan to retire in about ten more years and I would very much like to live here when I do. I have no other family and you have become very good friends...do you think that would be alright?" Sam asked hesitantly. Max and Liz glanced at each other and then back at Sam, before breaking out in grins.

"Of course you can move here, Sam! I'm sure that we can find someone willing to sell some land to you, once they know that you hold our secret safely in your hands." Max said.

"Great!" Sam grinned, as well.

As everyone else at the table laughed and smiled at the idea of their friend Sam Jones buying some land in the Valley, Phillip was thinking hard.

'Could that little girl, who had seen he and his friends using their powers, one night out in the clearing, have been the daughter of Mason Blair and Cheryl Appleton?' Phillip wondered to himself. That had always been a part of his inability to remember her very well, even though he wanted to, sometimes. He had always been bad at remembering names, back when he was six and seven years old.

'So her last name would be Blair, but what was her first name? Sheila, Sara, Susan, Suzie? Yes, that was it, Suzie, Suzie Blair. But what good did that do him? He would probably never see her again, especially since his parents had to stay away from her parents. Oh well, playing with her that day had been fun, he would remember that time more easily now that he knew her name.' Phillip thought.

Part 5 2031, Seven Years Later

"Hi Sue." Dee Evans greeted her new friend, as she took a seat beside her in their architectural history class.

"Hi, Dee." Sue Blair, known at Harvard University as Sue Best, answered, smiling up at Dee.

"I've been thinking that it's great that we met, since we have so much in common." Dee said.

"Yeah, these elective courses are nice that way. Students from different years and programs can still take them together. I'm a senior, studying microbiology and you're a sophomore in pre-law, but we're both using this course to fulfill one of our humanities requirements." Sue answered.

The two young women had met for the first time, one week ago, on the first day of classes and had started up a tentative friendship, sharing with each other their likes and dislikes, favorite activities or hobbies, but nothing any deeper than that, as yet.

"So let's talk boys." Dee suggested, watching Sue closely. "You've had a chance to study him, what do you think of Ian Zervos, sitting over there; pretty cute, huh?"

"Uh, well, yeah, I guess so." Sue almost stuttered, not looking at the cute guy at all.

Dee frowned a little at Sue's response. It was more than acute shyness, with Sue. It was shyness towards men only. Sue seemed perfectly comfortable among other women and not in any homosexual way at all, Dee was sure. Sue had responded in the same way towards other males, which Dee had pointed out to her, or who they had passed on the street, after class. Sometimes it was even as if Sue totally shut down, ignoring any male they saw.

"Oh no, I hope some creep hasn't hurt her. Could she have been the victim of some awful assault, in the past, to act this way?' Dee asked herself, worrying about her new friend. Well, she was not good enough friends with Sue yet, to ask her about that. Dee would just continue to keep an eye on her for now.

"Um Dee, are you still going to come watch the swim-team practice, this evening?" Sue changed the subject.

"Absolutely, my brother and his girlfriend might come as well, if that's okay." Dee answered.

"Sure." Sue replied.

Swimming was one of the few things in which Sue felt really confident. She was acknowledged as the best swimmer and was made team captain, the year before. Meeting Dee's brother would be okay, she told herself, especially if he already had a girlfriend. Boys with steady girlfriends seemed to be more polite to unattached females than unattached boys were. Class had started shortly after that and then the friends had, had to split up afterwards, to go to other courses, but Dee restated that she would be up in the bleachers, watching practice, later on.

That Afternoon in Airatan, NM

'Hey Liz, come look. Mason and Cheryl sent us an e-mail, complete with pictures of their kids, Sue and Matt.' Max called silently over their private connection.

"Coming...Oh my, Matt certainly has shot up at least a foot since the last picture they sent us. But oh no, what did Suzie do to her hair? She cut it all off until now it's just a cap of short, straight, brown hair!" Liz exclaimed. "This new hair style isn't unattractive, it really enhances her lovely bone structure and large, dark brown eyes, but her hair was so gorgeous and long when she was in high school."

"The letter says she's still on a swim-team, at Harvard now, she may have cut it for convenience sake." Max suggested.

"Did you say Harvard? The Harvard where two of our three children are going to college? I thought she was going to Stanford? That's what Cheryl said just before Suzie graduated at the top of her class, from high school."

"You're right, but hasn't Cheryl or Mason mentioned what college she's attending since then? It's been three years." Max asked.

"No, not the university's name, I'm almost sure of that."

"Well, at least we probably don't have to worry about any of them meeting. If they haven't met after being in the same town for three years, they probably never will." Max said, hopefully.

"I hope you're right. And it's for the best if we don't get mixed up with anyone who might bring the Press down on us." 'Although it did take Max and I four years of living in that same, small town, to meet.' Liz thought to herself, as she read the e-mail further.

"Oh look, Cheryl says that Sue is studying microbiology! Isn't that interesting?" Liz smiled.

"Yeah, I remember Cheryl mentioning how well she's doing in all of her classes." Max replied, allowing his attention to shift from the letter on his computer screen, to his lovely, sexy wife, who had come to sit on his lap.

"Mmm, you smell wonderful...cinnamon and vanilla. That's not your usual scent. Have you been baking?" He asked, as he allowed his nose and lips to nuzzle her behind her ear, under her chin and into her soft, silky hair.

"Mmhm. I'm baking my cinnamon coffee-cake that Libby likes so much, since she's coming home for the weekend."

"Good, it'll be nice to have one of our children home for a short while at least." Max went back to nuzzling his wife.

"Do you think Libby and Marc Guerin are getting a little too serious, Max?" Liz asked, worriedly.

Libby and Marc had grown up as best friends, but when she turned eighteen, something had changed and both young people had started seeing each other in a more romantic light. Now, Marc was doing a little teaching as a TA in the art department at the University of New Mexico - Albuquerque, having graduated the year before and Libby was at the university, studying architectural engineering and design under a semi-retired Olaus Petersen.

"Yeah, I think it's getting pretty serious. I've been waiting for Marc to come and ask me for her hand, for a few months now." Max answered.

"You think they're going to get married? But Libby's only nineteen!" Liz exclaimed.

"Marc is twenty-three."

"They're both so young and Libby's still in college." Liz argued.

"And so I will tell him, if, or when Marc actually comes to speak to me. I would certainly like to see Libby finish college and get a little more established as an architect, before they marry." Max soothed.

"Good, you tell him that." Liz started to nuzzle her husband back, now that some of her worries were settled.

"It's been interesting, watching them grow up as best friends and then turn into boyfriend and girlfriend, after all of those years of treating each other almost as brother and sister." Max noted.

"Yeah, it's a shame Amy Guerin and Phillip never made that leap." Liz sighed, partly because of her thoughts and partly because Max had just found that one certain spot behind her left ear. All thought flew out of both of their minds, as their kissing and caressing grew more intense.

"Libby's not coming home until tomorrow, right?" Max asked.

"Right; around two o'clock."

"Then come with me, my lady, to the sun-soaked rug."

"What's wrong with right here?" Liz asked, as she shifted around until she was straddling Max's lap, as he sat in his padded desk chair and began to unbutton her blouse.

"Nothing, nothing at all is wrong with right here, as long as you're right here...with me." Max said, as Liz opened her blouse to his gaze and started on his shirt...

Los Angeles, California

Niko Giuliani was searching his parent's house, while they were out of town. His father, the famous photographer, John Giuliani, who was known in the business as "Sneaky John", had photographed the famous and wealthy of the world for thirty years, including the great, all-powerful, Mason Blair and his tattle-tale wife, Cheryl Appleton. Niko thought, sourly.

Niko figured that he had as much talent behind the camera as his father did but just because he made a pass at Blair's precious wife, one time on the set, Mason Blair had, had him thrown out of the studio, completely. After that, not even dropping his father's name around town could get him any sort of job, except with the tabloids.

Even though he blamed Mason Blair for all of his bad luck over the years, since then, Niko realized that he fit in better with the other photographers who worked for the same rag he did. They did not let anything like ethics, privacy, or even the law, get in the way of uncovering people's secrets. But in his case, Niko figured that a little search through his old man's picture files would not hurt anyone and they might hold some juicy tidbit, which he could exploit.

At that moment he was trying to hold down his lunch, while he rifled through yet another file, containing pictures of Mr. Big-shot-Blair and his smarmy wife, making goo-goo-eyes at each other. This file had been marked "Among Us-Roswell set". Niko was about to give up on his search, before running to the bathroom, to throw up, when something caught his eyes.

There seemed to be two sets of pictures, taken at two different times, judging by the clothing worn by the subjects and the scenery behind them, but what caught his attention were the dates and times automatically imprinted at the bottom of each print, by the camera. The picture gave the same day and the same time, within seconds of each other on both sets of prints.

'How could this be?' Niko asked himself. 'Photographers can call for costume and scenery changes during a photo-shoot, but not within seconds of each other. Could this have been a camera error? No, my father took better care of his equipment than he ever did of his own son. He would not have allowed a camera to print incorrect information onto a negative.' Niko thought about the alternatives for a few minutes, before coming up with the following idea.

'What if Dad had two different cameras and gave one of them to a trusted assistant to use...something he's never allowed me to do.' Niko thought, angrily. 'So my Dad and the other photographer walked around town, snapping pictures of this couple in different parts of Roswell. But that wouldn't work unless...unless there was a look-a-like couple working on the movie, as well as Blair and Appleton.' Niko was getting excited.

'Could they have been stunt personnel?' He doubted it. Stunt people weren't used in publicity shots.

'So where had that other couple come from? I'll have to keep searching...'

TBC


	2. Parts 6 thru 10

Title: Was It A Dream?

Author: jane

Disclaimer: They are not mine. The characters of Roswell belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, Jason Katims and all the wonderful people who we all love for starting this fabulous series. No infringement or disrespect is intended. I'm just borrowing them! I would like to thank Carol (spacemom) for allowing me to use her character names (Mason and Cheryl) from her story "Acting Alien" and for all of her help and advice-jane

Was It A Dream? Part 6

That evening at swim practice, Sue came into the pool room and looked up at the bleachers. She smiled as she saw Dee sitting up there with several other friends of team-members. Dee sat alone; either her brother or his friend was not coming, or they had not arrived yet. The coach blew her whistle and Sue gave her attention to her, focusing her concentration on the advice she gave and on the technique and experience, which she herself had, from years of swimming and winning races. Phillip joined his sister a few minutes late, with his girlfriend, Amy Guerin coming to sit closely beside him.

"So, which of the swimmers is your friend, Sue Best?" He asked.

"She's in the third lane from the far side, wearing the navy blue suite." Dee pointed her out to her brother and best friend.

All Phillip could see was a tall, thin woman, with a short cap of dark, straight, brown hair. Tank-suites stripped away almost any femininity women had, giving them a sleek, streamlined figure, to enable them to slice through the water, all the faster. The high cut legs of the suite did show off her long, muscular legs to perfection, though. Phillip thought. Sue and the rest of her team were put through their paces. She must have been totally concentrating on her technique and speed, because she never again looked up to the bleachers. Dee, Phil and Amy were amazed at her speed and stamina, especially Phil, who was also in training on one of Harvard's crew teams and who knew what dedication and strength training, took. Finally, at the end of practice, Sue looked up at the bleachers and saw the man and woman who must be Dee's brother and his girlfriend. As she walked over to them, they walked down the steps to meet her.

"Sue, wow, you were fantastic!" Dee enthused. "I'm in a sweat, just from watching how hard all of you were working." Sue just blushed, barely able to lift her eyes up to her friend's, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"I'm sorry, you must be freezing. Let me introduce the three of you to each other and then you can go and get dressed. Susan Best, this is my brother, Phillip and his girlfriend, Amy Guerin."

"Nice to meet you both." Sue managed to say, making eye contact with Amy's kind eyes, but looking over Phillip's shoulder, before dropping them down again, shyly.

"We're going out for Chinese, would you like to join us? We can always go somewhere else, if you don't like Chinese food though." Dee said.

"Um, sure, I like Chinese food, that would be nice." Sue tried to sound politely enthusiastic. "Let me just go get changed, it won't take long." Sue said, before rushing away.

"She seems nice, but very shy." Amy noted, sympathetically.

"She's fine around women; I think it's good old Phillip, here who is making her nervous."

"Do you know anything about her background? Something in her eyes, what I could see of them, tells me that she's been hurt. That was more than shyness I saw just now." Phil said.

"That's the feeling I get, but I haven't been able to ask her yet." Both Phil and Amy nodded, understandably. Antarians might not be able to read minds, but they were very observant and intuitive, almost empathic, picking up on people's vibes.

"I think she needs some good friends." Amy said.

"That is what I hoped you say. Phillip, will you help? I think she needs one gentle guy in her life, to help her heal." Dee asked her brother.

"Of course I'll help. There's something about her already, which is drawing me to her." He said, thoughtfully.

"Thanks guys." Dee said, smiling.

In the locker-room, Sue rushed around nervously, very unlike her normal, calm self. As she took her shower, dried her hair and got dressed, she tried to bring herself down from having a panic attack.

'Oh no, oh no, it's him, it's him! Phillip Evans, the incredible hunk I've been drooling over for three years!' She thought to herself.

The two of them had managed to be in at least one class together each semester, but they had always been the huge, lecture classes, in one of the auditoriums. Phillip always sat near the back, with his crew-mates and the rest of that crowd, including all the cute girls, while Sue had sat up front, earnestly listening and taking notes.

She had found out his name, during that first class, three years ago and had found out that he skulled on a crew-team, for Harvard. She had even gone to watch him in competitions on the Charles River and at other locations, but had never seen his sister, Dee at one of them. Sue had seen him with a succession of girlfriends though, during their freshman and sophomore years. Then, last year he had settled down with Amy Guerin, as his girlfriend. Sue would have liked to hate Amy, but from all reports, she was a very nice person and was totally devoted to Phil.

'They make a very nice couple.' Sue tried to convince herself. Phil, with his tall, dark, handsomeness and Amy with her light brown, almost blond, loveliness. 'He's just Dee's brother, I can be friends with him...I can...if I have to.' Sue lectured herself as she put her V-pendant on, tucked it into her blouse and buttoned it up, as she walked out of the locker-room, ten minutes later.

"Hey guys, I'm all set, are you ready to go?" She asked glancing at the two girls, but not quite able yet to meet Phillip's gaze.

"Sure, let's go. In fact, it's my treat." Phillip said.

"Well, why don't you pay for dinner and Amy and I can pay for some take-out, to carry back to the house?" Dee suggested.

"Sounds good." Phil agreed.

"I can pay for my own dinner, you don't have to..." Sue started to say, until Phillip pinned her with his kind and gentle eyes.

"It is our pleasure to have you as our guest tonight. Don't worry about it." He smiled down at her.

"Um, okay, if you're sure. Thank you." Her eyes kept bobbing up and down at split-second intervals, as she still could not hold his gaze for longer than that.

"Shall we go, ladies?" Phillip put both of his arms out, one at the base of Amy's spine and the other stretching past Dee's shoulders to Sue's, touching briefly in a gesture indicating which direction they should start walking in. They found where Phil had parked their old SUV and all got in. Phil helped Amy into the front, passenger seat and then gently shut Sue's back door for her, making eye contact for an instant, before walking around the front of the hood to get in, behind the steering wheel. They drove to a popular restaurant with delicious food and got a booth at the back.

"Mmm, I think I'll have coconut shrimp, please." Dee requested.

"I'll have sweat and sour pork, please." Amy requested.

"May I have the General's chicken, very hot, please?" Sue asked next.

"Oh that sounds good, make that two, please." Phil added.

"And we would like to make a take-out order, as well, please. Could we give that to you now, so it's ready when we leave?" Dee asked their waiter, who nodded and flipped to a new page on his pad. Dee made the order, with only a couple extra suggestions from Phil and Amy. Then all four of them settled back to wait for their food.

"Um, all three of you live together?" Sue asked cautiously of her friend, Dee.

"Actually, there are six of us. So many of us kids, from our hometown attend Harvard, or MIT that our town council bought a small house for us to live in, here in Cambridge. It's nicer than living in the dorms and gives us a measure of safety. Phil, two others and I attend Harvard, while Amy and another boy attend MIT." Dee explained and then said, very deliberately.

"We girls all have our own, small rooms on the top floor, the guys have theirs on the second floor and we have a communal living room, dinning room and kitchen on the ground floor."

"That sounds like a good idea." Sue said, a little relieved. "I've never asked where you live, Dee, where all of you live." Sue included the others.

"It's a tiny, little town in New Mexico, you've never heard of; Airatan." Dee answered.

"No, sorry, can't say that I have." Sue smiled. "What part of the state is it in?"

As Dee explained where Airatan was located, Phil was silently gasping for air. When Sue smiled for the first time, it was as if a light had come on. When solemn, she was quite pretty, when she smiled and her eyes lit up, as they just did, she became lovely. He vowed to do everything he could to make her smile like that again.

'Are you alright, Phil?' Amy asked, sub-vocally.

'Uh, yeah.' Phillip answered, not sounding too sure of himself.

'If you want to end our agreement, Shaun could probably use some protection from the hoard of girls, who are after him, now that he's broken up with his girlfriend.' Amy offered.

'Maybe, let's talk about it later this weekend. Thanks, Amy.' Phillip said, silently, coming back to the verbal conversation being held by his sister and her friend.

"...small town, near Albuquerque, among the National Forests, up there." Dee finished.

"It sounds like a lovely place to grow up." Sue said. "I'd love to come and see it sometime?" She stated tentatively.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. We'll have to see what you think, closer to the holidays, or for next summer." Dee said, enthusiastically, having also been privy to the silent conversation, which had just taken place between her brother and good friend.

"Ohh, here comes our food!" Amy said, as their waiter approached. "I love how they put all the dishes in the middle of the table, on this turn-table, so that we can all share. Would that be alright with you, Sue?" She asked.

"That sounds like a great idea." Sue answered, relaxing just a little bit.

As they ate, Sue could not help but notice how all three of her table companions liked to eat the sweet shrimp, or pork, with the spicy chicken, in the same bite. She tried it herself, wondering if she was missing something.

'Oh No that does not taste good to me!' She exclaimed to herself. 'But maybe it's a regional thing, like eating whole, hot peppers in Texas.'

"May I ask what your parents do for a living?" Dee asked, after she had tried several bights of the delicious food.

"They work in Hollywood, actually, but only in the business offices for one of the networks." Sue answered.

She hated lying like this to her new friends, but it was very important to her that no one know who her parents really were. So they had come up with this cover story for her, along with her assumed name. Not only did she want to protect herself from the Press, she could not have handled a repeat of what had happened to her in high school.

"Do they ever get to meet any celebrities?" Amy asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. They just work in these boring, little cubicles all day. I received an academic scholarship, which allowed me to come here." She lied again.

"Man, that's impressive. No wonder you're so intense about taking notes and asking questions in class." Phillip said, bighting his tongue, as soon as he said it. He didn't want to make Sue nervous.

"You've noticed me?" Sue asked, in a shocked, tiny voice.

"Yeah, well you always have the answers and the teachers always seem to like you." He said. Sue nodded, looking down.

'Of course Phillip Evans didn't notice you because he thinks you are beautiful. You'll never be gorgeous like Mom, or even pretty.' She scolded, reminding herself what she thought of her own looks.

"Plus, your hair is always so clean and shiny; it's always easy to spot from the nose-bleed seats, where I usually sit." Phil said.

"So what do your parents do for a living?" Sue asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Our mother is actually a microbiologist." Dee answered quickly. "She's a professor at the University of New Mexico - Albuquerque."

"I hear they have a really good Ph.D. program there." Sue said.

"They do. Mom transferred there from Harvard, in the middle of getting her Ph.D."

"Now that is impressive, being accepted into such a prestigious program, in the middle of getting your Ph.D." Sue said in awe. "Wait a minute; your mother is That Elizabeth Evans? I've read some of her work for my classes. Her textbook and many of her scientific papers are on our reading list!" Sue exclaimed and Dee and Phil just smiled, proud of their mother.

"So what does your father do?" Sue asked.

"He's a family lawyer with a practice in Albuquerque and he also acts as the mayor of our small town." Phillip told her.

"How about your parents, Amy?' Sue asked, politely.

"Dad is a sculptor and Mom manages an art gallery in Albuquerque." Amy said.

"Oh my gosh, is your father Michael Guerin? My godmother has one of his pieces. It's gorgeous! She has it out in the middle of her back garden." Sue said. "What a small world this is, sometimes." She smiled again and Phillip felt his heart flip over.

"I'll have to tell my dad that. He'll be thrilled that one of his creations found such a nice home." Amy smiled.

After that, they finished their meal, chatting more comfortably together.

Los Angeles, California

Niko Giuliani had finished searching through his father's picture files.

'I have these pictures, seemingly of the same couple, but they were taken in different locals and at the same, exact times, so there must have been two identical couples running around Roswell, New Mexico. I'll have to search the newspapers from back then and see if they wrote a story about them. If I can get names, I can go from there. Heh, heh, heh." Niko laughed nastily to himself.

Was It A Dream? Part 7

Monday was to hold several surprises for Sue. The first one came in the sociology lecture class that she took with Phillip Evans. Sue arrived early and took her fourth row seat, as usual. She got her notebook and pencil out, ready to take notes.

"This seat isn't taken, is it? Would you mind if I sit here?" A voice beside her startled her. Sue looked up to see Phillip Evans standing next to her.

"Um no, no one usually sits there. Um, no I guess I don't mind if you sit there. But you usually sit in the back with all of your friends." Sue said.

"My grades are dropping in this class." Phillip lied. "I need to concentrate more on the lecture. This prof includes a lot of info on his tests, which you can only get from his lectures, rather than from the print material." Phillip hoped this excuse would sound plausible.

He did not want Sue to know that he was planning on becoming her friend and then slowly, gently wooing her. There was just something about her, besides her beauty, which called to him. He had discussed things with Amy over the weekend and they had ended their mutual agreement. Something he would have to explain to Sue, eventually.

Sue nodded and smiled, shyly, managing to make eye contact for all of two seconds, before hiding behind her long, thick, lowered lashes. Phil was so handsome! But his good looks only made her shyer. Besides, she told herself, he has a girlfriend. A beautiful girlfriend, someone she could never, ever match up to, she thought. He just wants to improve his test scores and be friendly to a pal of his sister's. She continued to tell herself, as she indicated that Phil could sit down.

'Would it be so terrible having him just as your friend? Couldn't that be enough?' She asked herself. 'I don't know.' She answered, uncertainly.

Phil gave her his gorgeous smile and sat down next to her. He got his notes out, ready for the lecture and a few minutes later, the professor came in and began his talk. Sue was surprised when, for the first time in all the classes they had taken together, Phillip took an active part in the question and answer section of the lecture period.

'He knows is stuff. I wonder why his grades are slipping.' Sue thought to herself.

After class, Phillip looked at her and smiled.

"Well, I got a lot out of today's lecture. I think sitting up here with you really helped. May I sit next to you again on Wednesday?"

"Uh sure, if it will help your concentration." Sue tried not to sound too hopeful. She reminded herself about the talk she had given herself before class.

"Great!" He said as he gathered up his stuff. "I've noticed that you head on over to the computer sciences building next. Mind if I walk with you? I have my next class over there as well."

"Um sure, okay." Sue gave him a shy smile and Phillip smiled gently back.

As they walked, they discussed what they had learned so far in their previous class. When they entered their building, they found a large crowd of students milling around in the hallways. Phillip saw a friend of his and asked what was going on.

"Professor Wainwright was hit by a car last night, while he was crossing the street. They don't know if he's going to make it."

"Oh no! Professor Wainwright is my teacher. I hope he gets better, I really like him." Sue cried out. "What are those of us in my class supposed to do now?"

"I heard that your class and ours are going to be combined." The boy said. "Professor Tomlinson should be here soon." Sue and Phillip nodded.

Just then, Professor Tomlinson came striding down the hallway until he reached the center of the crowd.

"All of you in Professor Wainwright's class, as well as those of you in my class, come with me to the large computer lab. Don't worry; I've posted instructions on both lab doors for students who come later." The crowd moved off, following the professor

"For those of you who don't know me, I am Professor Brad Tomlinson. I will be teaching Professor Wainwright's students as well as my own, after last night's terrible accident in which he was hit by a runaway car. I will keep you posted as to his recovery, as the hospital will not give out any information to you students. If any of you would like to send him a card, you may drop them off with me and I will make sure that he and his family receive them. Just one more note. Please do not try to send flowers or balloons, right now, they are not allowed in the ICU."

Professor Tomlinson went on to ascertain exactly where Prof. W's class was in their studies. He smiled when he learned that they were right up with is own students.

"Splendid, so you all have been told about the project we are about to start. With the combining of our two classes I have decided to assign partners for this project. I wrote up a list of teams, consisting of one student from my class and the other student from Prof. W's class. Listen for your names to be called, Adams and Baker. Best and Evans. Cochran and Fields..." Sue looked at Phillip shyly.

'Oh my gosh, is this my dream come true, or my worst nightmare?' She asked herself.

"Well partner, shall we get started?" Phillip smiled gently.

He could not believe his luck, although he felt terrible that it was only possible because of what had happened to Professor Wainwright. This would give him the perfect opportunity to work, unthreateningly with Sue and gain her trust, her friendship and hopefully more, as well.

"Where do you live, do you have a roommate?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, I have a roommate, named Sally. She's pretty nice but we're crammed into what should be a single dorm room." Sue said.

"Alright then, what do you think about working at my house? I have my own room and even though it's small, it still sounds better than working in your dorm room. Also, we can work downstairs in the dining room if necessary and there is usually someone else home, so you won't have to be worried about being alone with me." Phil finished his sales pitch.

"Um working at your home sounds okay, I guess. And maybe I can see Dee and Amy again, away from class, I mean." Sue said, quietly, glancing up at Phillip and then down again.

"Good. How is your schedule? When could you come over?" Phil asked.

"I have a pretty full class schedule during the day and I have swim practice on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, plus we practice on Saturday afternoons. How about you, what does your schedule look like?" Sue asked.

"Actually, my schedule is pretty much like yours, except that I'm on Crew and we practice in the mornings and then on Saturday as well. So I guess we can work on Tuesday or Thursday evenings or after your practice on the other days of the week. Hey, why don't you come for dinner tomorrow night? You can meet everyone else in the house and I'll be serving my great-grandmother's famous spaghetti." Phil coaxed, smiling charmingly.

"You cook?" Sue asked.

"Sure I do, we all do, taking turns, but I'm the best!" Phil grinned.

"Well, okay. What time should I come over?" Sue asked.

"Dinner's at around 6:30, but I get home from my last class around 5:15. You could come any time after that." Phil suggested.

"Alright, well, why don't we see what we can get done during the rest of our class time?" Sue asked, sitting down at a free keyboard to download the information they would need for their project. They worked well together for the rest of their class. Sue only started to get nervous and make errors in her typing, when Phillip leaned in too closely, to see the screen. As soon as he backed up a bit, Sue's shoulders relaxed some.

'Don't worry, sweetheart, I'd never hurt you. Not in a million years. I hope you can learn to trust me soon.' Phil said silently to this delicate, wounded little bird, sitting in front of him, at the keyboard.

Los Angeles, California

Niko Giuliani entered his own, small apartment, Monday afternoon. It was in a run down neighborhood, but his place looked like it would be the scene of a cholera outbreak. There were dirty dishes, glasses and pans lying in the kitchen sink and all over the counters and kitchen table. Beer cans littered the entire apartment and bags of garbage were piled into the corners, instead of being taken down to the dumpster. Dirty clothes lay all over the unmade bed and the floor, as well. His desk was littered with junk, waste paper and unpaid bills. His TV screen had a hole in it, where he had slammed his fist through it during one of his temper tantrums.

He had just arrived home, after using his tabloid's office computer to search back issues of Roswell's local paper, for the time when 'Among Us' was being filmed there. He had hit pay dirt when he found several stories about the filming going on in town...and about a local girl named Liz Parker, who was getting married to a guy named Max Evans. Niko was able to pull up one photograph of the young couple and saw that they looked exactly like Blair and Appleton, down to the last detail. Amazingly enough, the hick paper had never mentioned the remarkable likeness between the two couples.

Searching by Max's name, Niko found one small article about both he and the Parker girl, who was calling herself Mrs. Liz Evans by then. Apparently the young couple had been mobbed by fans of 'Among Us' for two weeks every time they tried to attend classes at Harvard. Their friends had acted as bodyguards to get them safely to and fro. Max and Liz were quoted during this one and only interview as saying that they had no connection to the movie, or to the actors and that they had never met any of them either.

"Well you are a big, fat liar, Max Evans, because I have a picture of Mason and Cheryl with their cute little tykes, Suzie and Matt, visiting the very town you are mayor of, Airatan, New Mexico. Are you trying to tell me that your exact duplicate just happened to visit your little art fair and that they didn't know you lived there in the first place? I think not." Niko talked to himself out loud, as he paced around his apartment, kicking dirty clothes out of his way, as he did.

"What are the four of you hiding? Any normal person would jump at the chance to have their picture in the paper. But nooo you keep yourself hidden away in that nothing, little town of yours, in the middle of nowhere. Oh you're hiding something, you have to be. And I am going to dig it up and display it for the whole world to see." Niko finished, muttering to himself.

Was It A Dream? Part 8

Tuesday morning, Sue entered her sociology lecture hall to see Phil just sitting down in the chair next to the one she normally sat in. She paused to gaze at him from the side door, as he was unaware of her presence, yet. Normally, Phillip dressed nicely in slacks, or good, clean jeans with a button down cotton shirt, but every once in a while he would wear his grunge clothes, as Sue like to call them.

Today he was wearing old, worn jeans and a white T-shirt, with some sort of design on the front and back. The soft denim material hugged or draped his lower body in all the right places, while the T-shirt did the same thing for his upper half. Phillip Evans was slim, but tautly muscled. The T-shirt was tight across his chest, back and shoulders, while hanging loosely over his abdomen and lower back to just past his waist, outside his jeans. The white material showed off his tanned and muscular arms, as well. Sue watched as his back and shoulder muscles rippled when he bent over to pick up a book from the floor. She sighed in pleasure as she started to walk towards her seat.

As she drew closer, Sue could see that the back of his T-shirt said "Hot air balloon ground crew", in dark green, block letters. Phillip straightened up as she drew closer and she saw, of all things, a little green man, standing in the whicker gondola of a hot air balloon. Printed on the balloon was "Roswell Hot-Air Balloon Club". She tried to hide a grin, at the absurd T-shirt, but didn't quite make it.

"Um hi, that is a um interesting T-shirt you're wearing." Sue said when she came to sit down in her seat next to him.

"Yeah, well I didn't get to do my laundry this weekend, as I normally do, so I was scrambling for something to wear this morning." Phillip said, embarrassed. "At least these are clean. Amy offered to do my laundry for me today if I'd take her cooking duty tomorrow night."

One of the many reasons all Airatan children were encouraged to go away to college, besides the maturing process it lent itself to, was for them to learn to live with the self-discipline of not using their gifts and powers.

"Oh...yeah...Amy. That was nice of her to offer to do for you, even if she is your girlfriend."

"Yeah it is. Can you imaging anyone preferring to do laundry, rather than to cook? But she really dislikes cooking for some reason and we really try to limit the amount of take-out or pre-packaged foods to just a few times a month. Anyway, as to Amy, there's something I need to tell you about her, but not here. Can we go somewhere a little private to talk or it could wait until this evening at our house." Phillip said.

'Oh great, he wants to tell me about his girlfriend.' Sue groaned silently.

"Um sure, maybe we could talk this evening. I always have to rush after computer class." Sue answered, hoping someone else would be at his house this evening so that they would not have any privacy there, either.

"Alright." Phil smiled at her briefly before the professor started his lecture. After class the two of them walked to their next class together.

"So um, where did you get that T-shirt? Are you really on a hot-air balloon ground crew?" Sue asked, as curiosity overrode her shyness.

"Yeah, I belong to the club, but I don't get to attend their uprisings as much as I'd like to, since it's based in Roswell and I live in Airatan. Some of my family live down there and got me interested in ballooning years ago, in fact, I'm working on getting my balloonist's license."

"You have to have a license to fly a balloon?" Sue asked.

"Of course you do, just as you do to drive a car or fly a plane. I already have my small-plane pilot's license and I'm also working towards my helicopter license, as well."

"Oh my, you really must love flying! Wow, three different pilot's licenses, that's impressive!"

"Not really." Phillip said, modestly. "Most of us kids can fly one or the other. Small planes and helicopters really come in handy for getting around, out in New Mexico."

"Oh." Sue said, nodding, as they entered the computer sciences building.

Sue and Phil entered their computer lab and found a free computer, where they could work. Phil kept a proper distance from Sue, as they worked together, but when he needed to move in closer to read something on the screen, or point something out to her, he kept it casual; very little eye contact, and all business. He smiled to himself as he realized that Sue had not stiffened up once, during their class-time.

'Maybe she's getting used to me a little.' He thought to himself, as they prepared to go their separate ways.

"So I'll see you at the house, later this afternoon?" Phil asked.

"Yes, see you then." Sue said, before waving good-bye and taking off across campus.

Phil found a stone bench to sit on for a moment, recalling his time together with Sue today, next to the conversation he had, had with his mother, late last night.

Flashback

'Hi Mom.' Phil broadcast over the Connection.

One of the many reasons the Community had bought houses nearby the four major university campuses their children attended around the country was so that each house could have an orb and stay a part of the Connection, through their link with the alien device. There were only the original orbs, which had gone with each of the children, who had escaped the doomed Antar, so many years ago. The materials to create more had been lost with the death of their planet and so they had to be carefully spread among the Community, so that every Antarian was within range of one.

'Phillip, what are you doing up so late? It's eleven o'clock on the coast.' Liz reproved her son.

'I thought this might be a good time to catch you. I need to ask your advice, Mom.' Phil told her seriously. He immediately received her full attention.

'Are you alright? I can sense that you're troubled.' Liz asked.

'I'm fine, Mom, well mostly. Dee introduced me to one of her friends, Friday night and I've been thinking about her ever since. There's something about her, which draws me to her, but...we think she has been...hurt by someone. We don't know for sure yet. Neither Dee, Amy, nor I are in a position to ask her yet...But...Mom...I...frighten her!' Phillip almost cried. His gentle soul could not handle the idea of any living being, especially this young woman, being afraid of him.

'Oh, Phil, I am sorry to here that. How does her fear manifest itself?' Liz asked.

'She is extremely shy of men. Dee says that she is fine around women. With me and a few other guys I've noticed her come near, she makes little or not eye contact, her speech becomes very soft and stilted, when she says anything at all and the few times I moved in too close to her, she stiffened up.'

'Why were you invading her personal space, Phil?' Liz asked

'Our two computer classes have been combined, because her professor is in the hospital. Professor Tomlinson, who is now teaching both classes, assigned partners. This young woman is now my partner. I only moved in towards her when she was working on the keyboard and I needed to read the screen.' Phil explained.

'Ah, well, alright. Phil there is something I need to tell you, but I want you to keep this confidential, alright? Don't even tell your sisters or Amy.'

'Of course Mom, but what ?' Phil asked worried about what his mother was going to tell him.

'I can help because...I was...assaulted when I was attending Harvard. I got away from my scumbag-boyfriend before he could...But the emotional trauma stayed with me for a long, long tome. Until one day, when your father saved my live and swept me off of my feet, literally!' Liz smiled at her memory of the day when she had met Max Evans. Then her expression became solemn and she brought her attention back to her son.

'Depending on what happened to her and when, it may take quite a while for your friend to heal, or she may never recover from it. Can you tell me her first name? It would be easier to call her by that, rather than as 'the young lady'.' Liz asked.

'I'm sorry, Mom. As much as I trust you to be discrete, I don't think that I should betray her privacy by giving you her name or even by telling you what she looks like. Telling you this much about her, may upset her enough if she ever finds out.'

'Of course, that's very thoughtful of you, Phil. Well, if you do ever speak to her of this, please tell her that I am very willing to help her any way I can. She may want someone, a woman to talk to. Tell her I would be willing to talk over the phone, vid-com, or I could even fly out if she would wish.'

'Thanks Mom. But how can I help her?'

'First of all, you must understand that with all the best intensions in the world, you may not be the one who can help her, no matter how patient you are, or how kind and gentle.' Liz warned.

'But if you truly want to help...the young lady...even have feelings for her, that's what you will have to be; patient, gentle, kind. Do not try and force her confidence or any other reaction from her. Let her lead you. She will confide in you if and when she wants to. Let her initiate physical contact of any kind, if and when she is ready.

'Give her your friendship, if she will take it. Share little confidences with her. Show her that you trust her, that you are willing to listen to anything she has to say. But once again, don't push her to talk about anything she does't want to.' Liz advised.

'Alright, thanks Mom.' Phil said, nodding thoughtfully.

'You're a good boy. I'm sure you'll do your best for your...friend and everything will work out alright in the end. Good luck. I love you.' Liz said, signing off.

'I love you too, Mom and Dad. Say hi to him for me.'

'Of course. Good night.' They both broke the Connection.

End Flashback.

Phillip came back to his surroundings and realized that he had better hustle over to the library so he could get the material he needed there and then get home to set things up for dinner tonight with Susan.

That evening, Phillip was home alone when Sue arrived.

"Hi Sue, come on in. May I take your jacket?" Phillip did not move in to help her off with her coat, as he would for anyone else, but rather waited for her to shrug out of it herself and hand it to him. He hung it in the small front closet.

"No one is here right now, so I was wondering if I could talk to you about that topic I mentioned earlier? I think it might make things a little clearer for you before Amy comes home."

"Um, well, sure." Sue said, reluctantly.

"Thanks. We could sit in the living room, or in the kitchen. I have some hot tea brewing in there, but we can bring it out here, if you'd rather...or if you would like something else..."

"Tea in the kitchen would be nice, I guess. I'm surprised that you aren't chugging down a beer or something." Her nervousness showed through her attempt at humor.

"I don't drink. I seem to be allergic to alcohol or something. I do't react well to any form of the foul stuff." Phil told her, as he guided her back into the kitchen.

Both the living and dining rooms, at the front of the house and on either side of the middle hallway, looked comfortable, but the kitchen, which ran along the width of the back of the house, looked and smelled homey. Sue took a whiff of the lovely smells coming from the oven, as they entered.

"What are you baking? It smells wonderful." Sue asked.

"Actually, I'm not baking anything. The cinnamon you smell is in the spaghetti. It's my great-grandmother's recipe, which has a sweeter taste, rather than such a spicy one. I cooked it yesterday, let it flavor through overnight and now I'm just warming it up in the oven. I'll broil some garlic bread, closer to dinner time, though." She nodded.

"Please, have a seat." Phil indicated the small cherry kitchen table, set up by a window, with four wooden chairs surrounding it.

Phil puttered about the kitchen, getting down two blue, stone-ware mugs, the cream pitcher and the sugar bowl and setting them on a tray with the proper, English brown teapot, which was already resting on a quilted cozy, in the middle of the tray. He added teaspoons and napkins to the tray and then carried it over to the table.

"Here you go. Would you like some cookies? Audrey baked some over the weekend."

"Um, not thank you." Sue said, getting nervous again.

"Alright, let me pour the tea for you." Phil said, as he picked up a fine, mesh filter and poured the tea through it, to catch the tealeaves, into Sue's mug and then into his own.

"I'll let you add whatever you'd like to your tea." Phil mentioned.

"So what did you want to explain to me?" Sue prompted, as she put sugar and cream into her tea.

"Alright, I'll get right to the point then." Phillip said, taking a swallow from his own mug. "There's something you need to know about the town we all come from. We tend to mate for life. Of course a couple could divorce if they wanted to, but we believe in finding our soul-mates, waiting to marry until that perfect person comes along and then living with that one, special person for the rest of our lives...So we're then very careful about who we date and who we eventually marry. To that end, we don't like to...make love outside of marriage, or at least a very stable engagement. To us physical love is too precious an act to share with anyone but our chosen mates.

"With us college students, that can cause problems. We're looking for that one special person, so we do date, but we don't...go too far in a relationship. When we realize that the person we are dating isn't our soul-mate, we break off the relationship, but usually keep them as friends. But if you do that too many times, you start to get a reputation, as I was beginning to get, two years ago. In such cases those of us from my town employ the technique of asking a friend, in our same situation, to pose as our boyfriend or girlfriend for a while.

"Two years ago, I asked Amy to play that role with me. We have known each other all of our lives and we're best friends, but we will never be anymore that that. She was having the same problem I was and so she agreed.

"Now, two years later, we're both in the position of our so-called relationship that we would either have to make it look as if we're becoming even more involved; about to marry or back it off...so we did...break it off. Another boy living here, Shaun, broke up with his real girlfriend a while ago and is having some major problems with girls running after him all of the time, so Amy offered to help. Something...unexpected happened when she did, though."

Flashback

"Hey Shaun, that girl chasing you almost left teeth marks on your shoulder!" Amy teased, as Shaun came dashing into the house and slammed the door behind him, almost in the face of the girl who had followed him.

"Yeah, why can't they take a hint? I'm not interested. Maybe I should have a T-shirt printed up...'Off the Market'."

"Or...you could get a fake girlfriend; Amy Marie Guerin, at your service sir; protector of reputations and shield against clueless bimbos!" Amy grinned at her friend.

"Phillip dumped you? I don't believe it! I thought you two were really...Oh what's the dif? It wouldn't be real with you. You would never want to make it real..."

"Shaun what are you saying? Phillip and I were never a real item. You knew that. You must have. We never acted like...lovers when we were home. And what were you saying at the end?"

"Never mind what I said." Shaun said, quickly. "What are you talking about? It wasn't real between you and Phillip? He loves you. I see it when he looks at you and when you look back at him."

"Of course I love, respect and admire him. He is my oldest and best friend, but neither of us is In love with each other. There is a difference. Now will you please tell me what else you said?"

"I figured I would never have a chance with you. I'm a year younger than you and Phillip...is Phillip...you know, our prince." Shaun looked down at his toes.

"Oh man, Shaun. I am so sorry. Have I been so blind to your feelings? I feel so awful. But you've always had girlfriends. There was never any opportunity for me...for us to...date...get to know each other in that way." Amy said.

"No you weren't blind. I hid it pretty well. I thought I'd never get a chance...wait a minute are you saying that you would, that we could...?"

"Of course we could go out. I've been so busy supporting Phil...and hiding from men myself, after that last awful boyfriend I had during my sophomore year, that I haven't allowed myself to even understand my own wants and needs. I would very much like to get to know you in that special way. I think maybe something might come of it."

"That would be so great!" Shaun grinned, while he gently squeezed her hand.

End Flashback (Of course Phillip did not mention the part about his being a prince, to Sue.)

'Man these people are starting to sound weird.' Sue thought to herself. 'A really nice idea; finding your soul-mate and all, but could that really happen to an entire town? And now another generation is looking to do the same thing? I wonder if these people are in some sort of religious cult.'

"Looking at your expression, I can guess what you're thinking right now, Sue." Phil chuckled. "No we are not in any sort of cult, nor are we fanatics! I think our townsfolk cover the full spectrum of religious choices out there, but no matter their belief systems, this is something we all seem to agree on...finding our one true love and sticking with her...or him."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Sue stammered.

"It's alright, Sue. In this day and age it seems as though you would have to join a cult so as not to have a 50 divorce rate!" Phil assured her.

"Well then, that is so sweet! I'm so happy for Amy. She seemed so nice, when we met on Friday. Of course, this means that you're free now, though." Sue teased, trying to remind herself that Phil had not broken up with the lovely Amy, so that he could go out with someone like her. Phillip noticed her dejected posture and wondered what it meant.

"Well, I just wanted to explain things to you, since Amy and Shaun will be coming through that door any minute now, laughing and hand in hand." Phil mentioned.

Indeed, at that moment, Dee, Amy and Shaun, with their fingers linked together, came through the door, laughing as they did so. Shortly after the three came in, the other members of their household arrived. They all smelled the spaghetti in the oven and made loud comments about how hungry they all were and how much they were looking forward to dinner. Dee introduced Sue to those she had not yet met, before they all went up to their rooms to work on homework; anything to keep them from being asked to help with preparing dinner and Sue left alone, wandered back into the kitchen.

"Can I help you with anything?" She offered.

"Sure, if you really want to. Guests are not expected to help in the kitchen. You could sit at the table, have some more tea and keep me company." Phillip suggested.

"I'm not the sit and watch kind of person. I like to be useful." Sue said.

'Are you afraid that if you don't make yourself useful, no one will want you around?' Phillip wondered to himself.

"Well then, could you make the salad? I'll get the veggies out of the frig." Phil did so and took them to the sink, to wash.

"Alright, we have head-lettuce." He threw it up in the air. "Cucumber and celery." He threw them up in the air, as well, starting to juggle them, while adding a few more items to his trick. "Radishes and tomatoes, but I don't want to bruise the tomatoes, so I won't juggle them and you can't juggle spinach either...ah, there're the carrots." He picked up the last item and kept them looping through the air, from one hand to another. Suddenly a high-pitched voice called out.

"Ahh, let me down, let me down!"

"Don't toss us so high!"

"If you drop me, I won't be able to be put into the salad!" The vegetables were crying out, as Phillip tossed them up into the air.

"You'd rather be eaten than just be juggled around a little?" Phillip asked.

"Yes, yes, it is our destiny to be tossed into a salad, not to be tossed around in the air!" The voice seemed to come from the celery.

"Put us down, put us down NOW!" The head-lettuce yelled.

"Oh alright!" Phillip put them down on the counter, one by one, keeping them up in the air until he did so.

"Oh my goodness! You should be in Vaudeville!" Sue clapped, but the applause seemed to snap Phillip back to reality and he grimaced.

"I shouldn't have done that in front of you."

"Why ever not?" Sue asked. "You were terrific!"

"Will you keep a secret for me?"

"What secret?" Sue asked.

"There is a prankster in this household, who is a ventriloquist...and as you might have guessed, the prankster...is me. But no one else knows, and I would like to keep it that way. I promise, I never hurt anyone, it's just a bit of harmless fun."

"I see, well in that case, of course I'll keep your secret." Phillip grinned at her.

"Thanks, Sue." He cleared his throat. "Now, would you please make the salad and I'll get the garlic bread ready." Sue nodded and went to work.

A few minutes later, everyone ran down the stairs, after Phillip yelled upstairs that dinner was ready. He and Sue had set the food out, buffet-style and everyone formed a line to serve themselves. There were only two assigned seats at the table; the head and the foot, where Phillip and Dee sat, respectively. Places of honor were on the right-hand side of the prince and princess of the Antarian people, but only if they specifically asked you to sit there, as Dee asked Sue to sit next to her, with Amy sitting on the other side. Phillip would have liked to ask Sue to sit on his right side, but he knew that it was too early in their relationship for that. As dinner progressed, it became clear to Sue that Shaun did not like carrots. He had tried to put as few of them into his salad bowel, out in the kitchen, but now he was picking the ones he had picked up anyway, onto his plate. A shrill voice cried out from that small pile of unwanted carrots, startling everyone at the table.

"Shaun, don't you like us? All we wanted out of our short lives was to be enjoyed by you! But it's too late; you've picked us out of your bowl and set aside to throw us away. Oh the agony! We allowed ourselves to be cut up, just so that we could be put into your salad bowl and you throw us aside as if were...Brussels-sprouts! Carrots are good for you; they are tasty...Why don't you like us?" They cried.

"Why do you, whoever you are, do this to me every time I don't eat my carrots?" Shaun moaned.

The carrots whimpered from his plate.

"Oh alright, already! I'll eat you!" Shaun mumbled, as he forked them up.

"Thank you, oh thank you, we are especially delicious tonight!" They said, before he swallowed them.

"There are you happy now?" Shaun looked around the table, until he came to the wide eyes of Sue, who was playing her part as confused guest, perfectly.

"I'm sorry, Sue. We have a prankster at this table, who loves nothing better than to make sure that we all eat our vegetables, among other things."

"Yeah, like the time he or she replaced my size 6 pumps with size 17 clown-shoes!" Amy laughed, remembering.

"Or the time he or she had my computer translating everything into Greek!" Dee giggled.

"Well, at least his or her pranks sound harmless." Sue said, looking around the table, until she came to Phillip and raised one, delicate eyebrow, ala Mr. Spock.

"Yeah, they are, otherwise Dad would have found a way to put a stop to them by now." Phillip replied. "We have another prankster, back in town, who's been on the loose for twenty-five years! He even made appearances at my parent's and aunt's and uncle's weddings!"

The table broke into laughter, remembering the stories, which everyone knew, about the weddings of Michael and Maria, Kyle and Tess, Isabel and Alex and Max and Liz. Dee turned to her friend and relayed some of the funnier things, which the original prankster had done to her parents and aunts and uncles, when they were young, until Sue was laughing as well.

"So, your prankster is carrying on the tradition, huh?" Sue asked Phillip.

"Looks that way, whoever he or she is." Phil replied with a straight face.

A short time later, after some dessert of strawberries and ice-cream, with some home-made cookies on the side, everyone got up from the table and took their plates into the kitchen. Dee and Amy had clean-up duty that night. Everyone else went back to their activities for the rest of the evening.

"Ready to get to work?" Phillip asked and Sue nodded.

The two of them headed up to his room, on the second floor. It was small, with just enough room for his full-sized bed, closet, a small dresser and an equally small desk, crammed with his computer equipment and textbooks. Sue noticed that it was a neat and clean room, smelling of something pleasantly spicy.

They settled down to work and managed to get a lot done. By the end of the evening, Sue realized that she had felt no urge to stiffen up in Phillip's close presence all night and was glad. He was nice and she was starting to feel safe with him. Sue was thinking how much she liked Dee, Amy and the others she had met tonight. She hoped she could build friendships with them...including Phillip Evans, she thought within the most secret part of her heart.

Was It A Dream? Part 9

Sue arrived at her architectural history class early, the next day. She sat down in her seat and allowed her mind to drift to the thoughts, which had been circling around in her head, ever since the evening before. Phil always acted with proper politeness towards her. He never made any suggestive remarks, nor any inappropriate touches or eye contact. He treated her more like a sister, which had really depressed her, until last night.

Last night, Sue had found out two very nice things about Phil and all of his house-mates. He had told her that he does not drink at all and it seemed last night, that none of his house-mates do either, even though they are all over the drinking age. Everyone at the table was drinking hot or iced-tea, coffee, pop, or just water. In fact, as Sue had helped Phil prepare the dinner, she had, had occasion to look into several of their cupboards. In them she had seen numerous flavored teas and coffees, stored up front. There was an automatic juicer and iced-tea maker on the counter and many different kinds of sodas in the refrigerator.

Also, Phil had made a big point of explaining his relationship to Amy and the custom in their town, of marrying for life. These were things a girl would like to know about a boy she is interested in; that he does not drink too much and that he would be faithful to her. But why would a boy, who treats you as if you were his sister, make such a point of telling you about such things? Sue hoped that it was more than Phil's explaining how Amy had been his girlfriend one day and became Shaun's the next.

'It wouldn't be because he especially wanted you to know that he was free to date again.' She silently told herself. 'Could it?'

"Hi Sue." Dee greeted her friend as she came to sit down next to her.

"Hey Dee." Sue smiled up at her friend.

"Would you be free Saturday morning? Amy, Audrey and I are all going to have facials, manicures and get makeovers, just for fun and we wanted you to join us. You have such a great sense of style and we wanted your advice, as well as to just spend some girl-time with you. What do you say?"

"Thank you for the compliment! That sounds like a lot of fun. My swim-team practice has been rescheduled to early that morning, so that will work out great!" Sue enthused, happily. Her shyness had not allowed her to make many friends during her three years at Harvard.

"Super! We'll get you added to our reservation at the salon. Afterwards, we could have lunch at one of the new restaurants near the mall and maybe do some shopping!" Dee wiggled in her seat, excitedly. She loved to shop, especially if she had someone with great taste, like Sue, along with her.

"We'll pick you up just before ten o'clock, alright?" Dee asked.

"That would be fine." Sue said, nodding and then they both had to settle down, as their professor started his lecture.

"Oh, I forgot to ask; how's your professor doing, the one in the accident?" Dee asked. "I forgot to ask Phillip if he'd heard anything."

"Oh yeah, we were told yesterday, that he's regained consciousness and that there seems to be no brain damage. He still has a lot of broken bones, but they'll mend in time. His internal injuries seem to be healing well, after his surgery." Sue reported, happily, as the two girls left their classroom. "He'll still be out for at least this semester, healing and doing physical therapy, though."

"Oh, I'm so glad that he's doing well." Dee said. "I'll see you in class on Friday, if I don't see you at the house, before that. Bye, Sue."

"Bye Dee." Sue said before they had to split up and go their separate ways.

Saturday morning, after swim-team practice, Sue was walking down a hallway, which circled one of the gymnasiums, on her way out of the building, when she happened to glance through one of the open doorways. She saw Shaun and Edward, Phillip's other housemate, playing basketball. Some of the guys, including Shaun and Ed, had taken off their T-shirts and just wore shorts, to play. Sue noted to herself that both of the young men she had just met, had very nice muscles in their upper bodies and legs, but she did not think they would compare to Phillip. Just then, her opinion was proven, when Phillip walked through one of the other gym doors. Sue slunk back, so that she would not be seen, as she continued to watch. Phil was in sweat-damp T-shirt and shorts and his hear was wet with perspiration.

"Hey, Evans, nice of you to show up." A strange boy called out.

"Hey, dummy, he had crew practice this morning." Shaun explained. "Anyway, with Phil here, we'll beat your team all the faster!"

"Oh my gosh!" Sue exclaimed, quietly to herself, as Phil tossed his T-shirt on the floor and joined his friends on the court. "And I thought he had a great body when it was clothed!" She muttered, as she watched his muscles flex and twist, tighten and release.

'I'd better get out of here, before I drool onto the floor, or he'll be sure to feel my gaze on him.' Sue thought, as she made herself turn away from the wondrous sight of Phillip Evans, bare-chested.

Back in her dorm, she changed out of her sweat-suite, which she wore after practice and into jeans and a navy-blue sweater, with gold, copper and brown leaves scattered over it. She was wearing her copper-V, but as always, she tucked it inside the neck of her sweater.

'Funny, usually when I see a man without his shirt on the sight totally turns me off, or I feel nothing at all. But today, when I saw Phil, for the first time in years I felt attraction and...something else, I can't describe. Maybe I'm finally coming back to life a little. Maybe Phillip Evans is bringing me back to life.' Sue thought, as she finished getting ready and went downstairs to wait for the other three girls to pick her up.

"Oh I love the hand massage you get with a manicure." Audrey moaned happily, as the manicurist manipulated the fine bones in her hand.

"Now, ladies, what color nail polish would each of you like us to apply? One of the other four manicurists asked.

"Sue, what color would be right for me?" Dee asked her friend, who was sitting between herself and Amy.

"Oh, I think this one would be good for you. It'll bring out the warm color-tones in your skin and show off your long nails at the same time." The manicurist nodded, agreeing with Sue, who had moved on to help Audrey choose her color.

"Before your nail polish is applied, ladies, it's time for us to remove the deep cleanser lotion on your faces and apply the next step of your facial. Then you can come back and have your nails finished." Their beautician came to get them.

"Sue, what would you think of my having my hair cut to look like yours?" Amy asked, as they were all having their faces worked on. Sue looked carefully at her friend's face and hair before replying.

"I think it would look great, but it would look even better if it were feathered away from your face a little and layered, rather than just the straight cut, I have." Sue recommended.

"That would look great, Miss." The beautician agreed. "We have a chair available in the cutting room of our salon, if you would like to have it done right now."

"Should I, you guys?" Amy asked. "What will Shaun think?"

"He'll flip! I think it'll be a really cute look on you." Audrey said.

"Your hair is already shoulder-length. He'll think that it looks even better than it does right now." Dee said. "It's not as if it reached down past your waist, like mine does." After a second's thought. "Hey Sue, do you think I should cut my hair too?" Dee asked.

"NO!" Sue exclaimed, loudly. She modified her tone and tried again. "No, please do not cut your hair. It's so beautiful, long and thick. It does't even need a trim." Sue said, firmly and Dee smiled.

"Phew, thanks. I didn't want to cut it, but the thought has crossed my mind. I like it when everyone tells me that I look like my grandmother, when she was young. She was a great lady and I want to be just like her." Amy and Audrey were nodding.

"Oh do you? That must be a nice way to feel connected to your heritage. I don't look much like any of my relatives." Sue remarked, as the girls walked over to the cutting area, to watch Amy get her hair cut.

After Amy had her hair cut which all the other girls agreed looked fabulous, they went back to have their nails finished and then over to the make-up counter for their make-overs.

"None of you want to wear too much make-up, unless it's for a very special occasion. Your faces and skin are all so perfect, they don't need much enhancement." Sue suggested. "Just some light foundation, if you want; some subtle, glossy lipstick and some eye make-up to bring out the color in your irises."

"Well you certainly seem to take your own advice, Sue." Dee said. "But I get the feeling that it isn't because you know that your face needs little or no adornment to look beautiful!"

"Oh you don't need to say that, Dee. I know I'm not beautiful, like the three of you are. Putting on a lot of make-up just doesn't seem worth my time. It will never change what I look like; make my reflection any better." Sue said quietly. Still her friends and their beautician stood there with their mouths hanging open.

"No, make-up probably won't make you look any better." Dee said, seriously, thoughtfully. "Because it would only be covering up your natural beauty; your lovely bone structure, your luminous, clear skin, your features. No you aren't just beautiful and not to sound out of line or anything, but Sue, you are gorgeous! I can't believe every guy in town isn't clambering for your name and phone number. Most of all I can't believe that you don't see yourself as you truly are." Sue ducked her head and averted her face from her friends, uncomfortable with their praise, but didn't say anything.

'Okay we need somewhere private, where we can talk some sense into Sue.' Dee told Amy and Audrey, sub-vocally.

"I think we're finished here." Amy said firmly to their beautician, who nodded, understandingly. Thankfully they had already paid their bill. "Thank you for all of your help."

"Sue, why don't we go have some lunch." Audrey said, linking her arm with Sue's and steering her out of the salon.

They were on their way out of the mall, when they saw Shaun, Ed and Phillip, coming towards them.

"Hey you guys, I thought you were all playing basketball." Dee called out.

'We need to take Sue somewhere private, where we can have a talk with her.' Amy told the men, sub-vocally relaying to them, what just happened inside the salon.

'No you don't. I don't want you pumping her for information she's not ready to give.' Phillip said, firmly.

"One cannot live on hoops alone." Shaun told them, out loud, as he came to put his arm around Amy.

"We came to see a movie." Edward said.

"Why don't you lovely ladies join us?" Phillip suggested, looking directly at Sue, as he said it. "Have you had lunch yet? We can load up on junk food; nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, sodas and watch the new adventure film that's out."

"Are you talking about the new Mason Blair film? Ooh, I want to see that! I love his films." Amy raved, glancing at Dee and Phillip. After all, the famous actor did look exactly like their own father.

"They say he's the Harrison Ford of his generation; handsome, sexy and incredibly talented." Audrey chimed in.

Sue was feeling much better now that the topic of conversation had changed. She was trying to hide her delighted grin at hearing her father so well spoken of.

"A movie sounds like fun." She noted, quietly.

"A movie it is then." Phillip said, instantly. "I think there's a showing in about 30 minutes. We could grab some lunch beforehand and then just take popcorn and pop in with us." He suggested and the friends started to walk towards the theatre.

Shaun paid for Amy's ticket and food and Phillip would have liked to do the same for Sue, but he reminded himself that this was not a date. This was just a bunch of friends having fun together. The seating did work out well, however when they went into the theater. Shaun and Amy sat together, with Edward next to Shaun, on the far side. Dee and then Audrey sat next to Amy with Sue next to them and then Phillip sat on the aisle, on the right side of Sue. They both sat with their arms within the sides of their chairs, not touching at all.

As the lights went down, Sue remembered that her father had never told her what this movie was about. He said that he wanted it to be a surprise, knowing as he did, that his daughter never watched entertainment channels. The surprise came in the fact that this movie was more of a romance than any of Mason Blair's previous films, not including 'Among Us'. In his action/adventures, mysteries and intrigues, Mason always got the girl in the end, but the focus would be on the action scenes.

"Oh my gosh, Mason's wife, Cheryl Appleton is in this with him!" Dee squealed, quietly, as she read the opening credits.

'Oh my gosh, those little...stinkers!' Sue thought of her parents. 'I knew that they were both working on movies, but they never mentioned that they were working on the same movie. They haven't filmed one together in years. Mom has become a very gifted director lately, while Dad kept acting.' Sue thought to herself.

As the movie progressed, Sue became totally caught up in the action. She forgot that it was just a movie, just pretend and that all the fights, explosions and other dangers were highly choreographed stunts. That was her mother, up on the screen and she was in danger. Of course her father would save her, but in the meantime, Sue was gripping the arms of her chair with white-knuckled intensity...except that one of the arms she grasped was not made of plastic, but of living flesh.

'Boy, Sue is really getting into this movie.' Phil thought, as he watched out of the side of his eye, as she cringed and jumped at each punch and explosion.

'Maybe this movie wasn't such a good idea.' He thought. Then he felt a small hand grasp his wrist with incredible strength. He turned his head to see Sue watching the screen through the fingers of her hand, which alternately covered her eyes and then spread open, to let her watch.

Phillip wanted to put his arm around Sue and hold her through the intense scenes, but he knew that it was too soon for that. He covered her hand with his own and tried to pat it reassuringly. A particularly loud explosion brought his attention back to the screen for a second. He saw Cheryl Appleton's character narrowly escape being crushed by a large piece of debris; before Mason Blair's character sprinted out to pick her up in his arms and carry her to safety. After that one second, he felt another hand grasp his upper arm and a forehead being pressed into his shoulder and he heard Sue cry out. He turned and saw her just turning her head to peak one eye out so that she could watch what happened next.

There was some sub-vocal chatter going on as well. Dee was also having some trouble distinguishing the actors from her parents, as well and was holding tightly to Audrey's hand. Luckily, after all of the action, came a tender scene between the hero and heroine. Phillip watched as tears started to trickle down Sue's smooth cheeks and the urge to take her into his arms grew stronger. The only thing which kept him from panicking at her reactions to the movie was the sweet smile on her face, as she watched the couple on the screen kiss and gently caress each other's faces, necks and arms. He heard sniffles coming from the other girls, sitting near him as well.

'Oh I love to see those two together.' Sue thought to herself. 'Matt would only roll his eyes and make a rude comment, but I've always thought that our parent's love for each other was so romantic!'

The movie came to an end and the audience started to applaud and cheer. Appleton/Blair movies always garnered such enthusiastic responses.

"That was Wonderful!" Amy exclaimed.

"Yeah, those two are so great together and since they're married, you know those kisses were for real!" Audrey said, smiling.

"Man, those action scenes were hot!" Shaun said next.

"Yeah, that last scene, where you're sure that Cheryl's character is going to be killed and then Mason comes running in, just in time, to save her!" Ed added.

'I wonder how they can kiss like that in front of a camera and all the people who must be on the set, watching?" Dee asked.

"They're just engrossed in their love for each other and in their own little world." Sue said and then. "I would imagine that's how they film such scenes."

Phillip just watched her, silently.

"Hey you guys, I was promised shopping!" Dee reminded them.

"Yeah, let's go." Audrey agreed.

They said goodbye to the guys and walked off, arm in arm, to spend the rest of the afternoon checking out the shops and boutiques the mall had to offer, having a great time talking about the finer points of the movie, as they did.

Los Angeles, California.

Niko Giuliani knew everything there was to know about Mason Blair and Cheryl Appleton already, so he had spent the week finding out all he could about Max Evans and Liz Parker.

"So you were a foundling, Maxie-boy? That could be an interesting angle. I'll have to dig harder into Blair's family history. Maybe there was an affair, which produced Evans, on the wrong side of the blanket. And maybe there was something similar happening between the Parker and Appleton families. He, he, he!

"Well, I've already found out something interesting about that little town of Max Evans'. He had offered big bucks to buy that land from the government...And those mountains hold an underground military facility, including several missile silos. Now, I wonder what a quiet, little town, filled with those artsy-types would want with a secret, underground military base?

"I'll do a little more digging and then I'll have more than enough information to contact both Blair and Evans and see how they react, when I rattle their cages a little."

Part 10

Niko had been digging for a few more days, but had been unable to find any "connection" or sign of an affair in the Blair family background, or between the Parker and Appleton families.

"That doesn't mean that nothing happened, just that they hid it well." Niko mumbled to himself. "But I've learned a great deal and pieced a lot of coincidences together. It all started over fifty-five years ago, when some Swede-nobody, named Eric Petersen started to write his dorky, sci-fi books about this planet called Antar. He even gets those clowns in Hollywood to make movies out of his books. His dreamer of an uncle, Olaus Petersen is trying to build houses that no one wants to buy. So, twenty-five years ago, Eric makes a deal with the Hollywood big-wigs, to film one more movie, based on his last two books. He gets his uncle hired on as set designer and these two and their whole passel of relatives decide to immigrate to the States.

"Meanwhile, there's this kid, Max Evans, a foundling. According to the adoption records, which I was able to hack my way into, he was found, out on the road on night, just outside of Roswell, New Mexico. He grows up all alone, poor kid, until he attends college at smarmy, ivy-choked Harvard. There he bravely saves the life of Liz Parker and all of a sudden, starts to have friends pop up out of the woodwork.

"Interesting thing is that three of those friends were also found, alone, on a road, just outside of Roswell, New Mexico, according to their adoption papers and the police reports I was able to get a look at. The Parker girl, her adopted sister, Tess and her friend Maria, all grew up in Roswell, site of the infamous crash of a spaceship, back in the late 40s. The government made such a stink about covering it up, that I just know that something must have actually happened there.

"So, all the kiddies have met and suddenly they know Eric Petersen as well. So well, that they're bidding on an old, underground, military facility, together. They get the land, a valley, which is almost totally cut off from the outside world and almost overnight, the town of Airatan has popped up out of nowhere. Where did all of those good townsfolk come from, all of a sudden? Where did they stay, while they were used to build the town? Well, that's easy; they were down in that secret, military facility. And I bet that they are still hiding illegal aliens down there, today.

"The two Petersen men are working on that stupid movie and gee-whiz, they hire an actor and actress, who look just like Evans and Parker, to play some poor, orphaned, alien prince, who comes to Earth and finds the big "L" with this stringy-haired, no chest, little mouse of a girl. The four of them supposedly meet for the first time, which I think is a bunch of bull, right before Parker and Evans marry and live happily ever after...yeah, right.

"Three years later, after most of the work has already been finished, the cute, little Evans couple move out to Airatan, which I found, by actually reading one of Petersen's stupid books, was the name of the royal capital on the planet Antar. Maxie-boy becomes the mayor of this alien planet, look-a-like town.

"The Blairs were caught visiting that weird, little town, fourteen years ago. I bet they'd been in touch with the Evans family before that and had stayed in touch over the years to this very day, lying to anyone who asked them whether they knew each other. So, why are they hiding their connection? They don't want anyone to know about the affairs going on between their families, of course. Such fine, upstanding families don't have such lurid skeletons hanging in their closets, oh no.

"Mayor Evans has never allowed the Press beyond the tourist town, at the mouth of their little valley. He says he doesn't want their privacy invaded. There is even a barbed-wire fence running all the way around the outside of the valley. Now, is that to keep people out, or keep people...or something...in?

"They have to be using the underground facility to smuggle drugs and/or illegal aliens...wait a minute, wait just a minute. Not illegal aliens from Mexico, illegal aliens from outer space! Eric Petersen wrote books, supposedly make-believe books about another planet. The last book tells of a group of kids coming to Earth, to live among us. What if that really happened? What if Evans is that wimp of a prince? He gathers his "people" together into this one little, hick-town, to live in peace and harmony among us Humans. I bet they're smuggling in more aliens-from-outer-space and hiding them down in those tunnels, until their new identities can be forged. They might even be experimenting on Humans down there!

"Oh yeah, I've got lots of questions to ask Blair and Evans. I'll send the same letter to each of them, so they know what is suspected about the other guy. Maybe this'll break them up, make one of them rat out the other...to me! I'll be famous, when all of this is blown wide open!" Niko grinned to himself, dreaming of building his career, as well as a magnificent house to live in, with lots of cars, women, jewelry, women...He just didn't realize that he was building all his dreams on sand and as soon as he set the cornerstone, a sink-hole was going to open up and swallow him whole.

Airatan, New Mexico.

"Have you seen Uncle Max, or Aunt Liz, Dad?" Marcus Guerin asked his father.

"Uh no, I haven't. You have tried calling them over the Connection, haven't you?" Michael asked.

"Yes, but they aren't answering. I'm worried." Michael concentrated for a moment.

"Well, I can pick up their life signs, so they're fine. They probably just want some privacy for a while. Why don't you go to their home office and leave them a note?"

"Well, alright." Marc said, as he turned back towards his home and the Evans's.

"I'll walk with you, I was going home anyway. So, how's Libby doing?"

"She's great, Dad! Well, You Know how I feel about her...she's...she's..."

"She's great, yes I understand and I'm happy for both of you. Wanting to see Max and Liz doesn't have anything to do with your relationship with Libby, does it?"

"Well, uhm..."

"Because, I've just found them for you." Michael said, nodding towards the Community's glass-enclosed, Olympic-sized pool.

"Oh yeah sure, like I'm going to go in there and ask for their permission to marry their daughter, while they're..." Marc tilted his head..."uh, kissing...alone...in the pool."

"Smart boy, wait 'til later this evening, at least." Michael advised, as father and son walked on.

A few minutes earlier.

Liz walked into the glass-enclosed pool building and stood to watch her husband swim lap after lap. She looked away from the tantalizing view of Max slicing his way through the water, for just a few moments, to look around the enormous, cathedral-ceilinged room. Inside the twelve-foot high windows grew different types of large, green ferns and other plants, while outside, there were nicely spaced pine and spruce trees. Anyone inside the pool-house had a lovely view up and down the valley, but at the same time they had a little bit of privacy at ground level, from the greenery, or so she thought.

They could usually count on having this pool all to themselves in the middle of the day. The kids were in school and the adults were at work, when Max and Liz took their one day a month to meet for a private swim in the pool. Liz looked back to her husband, as he came speeding towards her. When he reached the end of the pool, he stopped and brought his head up out of the water. He leaned backwards, stuck his head back into the water and then straightened up, his hair all neatly sleeked back over his head.

As Max brought his head out of the water, smoothing his hair back a little with his hand, he opened his eyes to see his dream-girl standing before him, up on the tile walkway, surrounding the pool. Man, he loved to look at her body, especially when it was displayed to perfection in her copper-toned, one piece swimsuit. The top was cut just low enough to show off a little bit of cleavage, the bottom of the suit was cut high enough to show off her gorgeous legs and the whole thing fit her like a second skin, showing off all of her fabulous figure, hidden underneath.

"Hey there, how come you're standing up there, gorgeous, but dry, so far away from me?" Max asked.

"Because my handsome husband has not yet offered to help me into the water, so that I don't get my hair wet." Liz replied.

"Woops, sorry, sweetheart." Max said and then raised his arms and took hold of Liz by her tiny waist and lifted her down into the water. Instead of putting her down in the shallow water, he shifted his hold until he was holding her with one arm under her bare thighs and the other behind her almost bare back. Liz put her arms around his neck and moved in to kiss him, deeply.

"Mmm, thank you sir, for your help." Liz said, between kisses. With her attention on Max's lips, she did not realize that her tricky husband was taking her out to deeper water, until he dunked them both underwater, but continued to kiss her moist lips. Finally, they surfaced, gasping for air.

"Max, I told you that I didn't want to get my hair wet!" Liz exclaimed.

"That's what you always say, but how can we have any fun or get in any exercise, without your hair becoming wet? I always dry it for you afterwards, anyway." Max grinned at her.

"Oh you!" Liz laughed, just before she made a pre-emptive strike and put her hands on top of Max's head, to dunk him. She could hear his startled yelp come form underwater, as she quickly flitted out of his reach.

They played like this for some time; trying to dunk the other, dodging each other by swimming along the bottom of the pool and splashing each other, as well. Then they took turns on the diving board; Liz performing graceful dives, while Max preferred the good, old cannon-ball, splashing half of the pool's water out, each time he did it. Finally, Liz put in several laps, with Max pacing himself beside her, before they saw that it was time to get out.

"Oh no, look at my fingers, they look like prunes." Liz wiggled her fingers in front of Max's face.

"Mmm, I can take care of that." Max said, as he took her hand and kissed each finger, drying and bringing each hand back to its normal softness, as he did so.

"Thank you, Max. You know, with all the water you splashed out of the pool, perhaps we should try to conserve a little water by...taking a joint shower. What do you say?"

"What a great and environmentally thoughtful suggestion, Liz. I'm so proud of how you always put Mother Earth first in your priorities!" Max replied, as he took her hand and pulled her through the door and into the locker-room.

He made sure that the shower-room door was good-and-locked, before he slowly slid Liz's suit down her fabulous body. Liz ran her hands down over Max's impressive, bare chest and abdomen, before she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his boxer-type suit and pulled it down his body, as well. They ran the gamut between laughter, as one of them found a ticklish spot...and moans of pleasure, as they both discovered...other places to kiss and caress, as they shampooed and soaped each other clean.

...Sometime later, they walked in, arm-in-arm, through one of the French doors in their family room and made their way to their bedroom to...change clothes. A while after that, they passed back through the family room and on to their offices/library, to do a little work. Even though this was a day off from their regular jobs, there were still matters, which needed their attention, waiting for them on each of their desks.

"Mary brought in the mail, bless her." Liz said, as she glanced through the pile of envelopes, sorting them out. Mary was their housekeeper/secretary-when-needed and fabulously industrious assistant.

"Here's a large envelope from someone I don't know; Niko Giuliani. It's addressed to both of us. Do you know someone by that name, Max? There's only his name, no return address." Liz said.

"No, I've never heard of anyone by that name. He's probably selling something, but open it anyway, just in case." Liz did so and read through the cover-letter. All of a sudden her face went deathly pale and she sat down hard in her chair.

"Liz, what is it?" Max asked urgently, as he came over and knelt by her side.

"Read this, Max." She said, in a dead voice, handing him the letter.

"Oh man! Who is this creep and where did he get all of this information?" Max exclaimed as he quickly scanned all the information and speculations listed on the attached pages.

"He does't actually have a lot of facts, only coincidences, but the speculations; almost accusations, which he makes, are down right crazy...and dangerous."

"We need to contact Mason and Cheryl, have them come out here, so we can talk safely." Liz said.

"You're right, Liz...but some of this nut-case's ideas are pretty darn close to the truth. Liz, how much of anything do you think we should tell Mason and Cheryl, so that they can help us diffuse this...scumbag?"

"Oh I don't know, Max. We may have to tell them everything, especially with what happened between our Phillip and their little Suzie, fourteen years ago."

"Oh...yeah, I'd almost forgotten about that. Well, for right now, let's just contact them and see where we stand. We can make plans after we get Mason and Cheryl's reactions." Max suggested and Liz nodded.

A press briefing in Hollywood, California.

"Mason, Cheryl, your latest film has been out for three days now and it has already been proclaimed as a monumental hit, but what do your kids think of it?" An overenthusiastic reporter asked, as his camera-woman snapped picture after picture.

"Well, Susan called to tell us she had just seen it this weekend." Mason chuckled. "She said that she was a nervous wreck during the action scenes and cried during our little, romantic scene, at the end!"

"And your son, Matt, has he seen it yet?"

"Yes, he called to say that the action scenes were "totally hot, but that the romantic stuff at the end was too embarrassing to watch!" Cheryl grinned.

"I don't think it was the kisses, which embarrassed him, it was watching his old-foggy parents kissing...on screen, which embarrassed him. I can just see him rolling his eyes and yelling "Da-a-ad!" right about now!" Mason did an excellent imitation of his nineteen year old son and had the audience laughing out loud.

"That's all for now people. Thanks for coming. Press packets are on the back table, if you didn't already get one." Cliff, Mason's agent told the reporters.

"You guys were great." He turned around to tell Mason and Cheryl.

"Thanks, Cliff. It's been a long day. I'm taking my lovely wife and co-star home now." Mason told him.

"Okay, Mase. Don't forget that you have a 6:30 show-time for the talk show, tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, yeah." Mason said, over his shoulder, as he put his arm around Cheryl's slender shoulders and guided her out of the studio.

An hour later, Mason and Cheryl entered their lovely home, set back, up in the hills.

"You look tired, Mason." Cheryl said, as she stepped in close to her husband and ran her small and gentle hands over his forehead and along the back of his neck. "Why don't you go out onto the deck, get comfortable in your chair and I'll brew us some hazelnut coffee and bring it out."

"That sounds great, Sweetheart, thank you." Mason leaned in a little to kiss his lovely wife on her forehead.

"I'll be right out." Cheryl said, as she headed towards the kitchen and Mason walked towards the deck, which was accessible from their master bedroom.

A few minutes later, Cheryl came to the sliding glass door and Mason got up to open it for her and take the tray she was carrying, from her. On the tray were two brown, earthen-ware mugs, a small, matching coffee carafe, the sugar bowl, two tea spoons, a plate of chocolate-chip cookies and a few pieces of mail.

"We received some letters from our families and this large envelope, with no return address on it, but it was addressed to our personal post-office box, so I brought it out to open." Cheryl said.

"Hmmm." Mason said, as he turned the large envelope over, studying it, before opening it. A moment later he let out a string of swear-words.

"Oh my gosh, Mason, what is it?" Cheryl asked, concerned. In his private live, Mason rarely ever swore.

"Come sit down with me, Cheryl." Mason sat down on their wicker love-seat, next to Cheryl and took a healthy swallow from his coffee mug. He took several deep breaths, before turning to her.

"This packet is from...Niko Giuliani."

"Niko G!" It was Cheryl's turn to swear, an even rarer occurrence for her, than for Mason.

"That little twerp, that creep, that, that..."

"Yeah him." Mason agreed. "Sneaky-John's son, who doesn't have half the talent with a camera, that his father has in his right pinky-finger, but who has the arrogance and ego of ten men."

"The guy who used Suzie to get to you, so that you would get him a job at the studio...and then dropped her like a hot potato." Cheryl said.

"Yeah the guy who drove us all nuts with his laziness, lack of talent, sarcastic pessimism and the sexual harassment of most of the female staff. Luckily, his contract was only for six months and then he 'felt you up' the day after his contract expired and we were able to fire him. The ladies came forward afterward and told us what he had done to them. Too bad they hadn't come forth earlier, or we could have gotten rid of him all the sooner." Mason said.

"So, what does the creep want?" Cheryl asked.

"Well, to start off let me say that Niko is an idiot, as well as a creep, to have put all of this stuff in writing. Let's see, he has discovered our resemblances to Max and Liz and implies that there must be a blood relationship between us, made during some steamy affair in our families' pasts. He thinks that just because we chose to keep our friendship private, we must be hiding something."

"Oh no, oh Mason, he didn't, he wouldn't have sent a copy of this material to Max and Liz, would he?"

"He would and he did. Niko mentions that right up front. He also sites Eric Petersen and Olaus Petersen as further connections between the four of us, since both Petersens and quite a few of their families live in Airatan.

"So what?" Cheryl asked and Mason shrugged and then started to grin, as he read further.

"Niko has put together an incredible set of coincidences and you won't believe what the punch-line is!"

"What is he saying?"

"Okay, he thinks that Eric Petersen's books are for real; that Antar really did exist and then was destroyed and that the children actually did come here to Earth, to live among us...and he thinks that Max is the young Prince Zan and Liz, his mate! Can you believe that? This guy is a lunatic!"

"Absolutely. Where does he think he can take these preposterous ideas?"

"Uh, well, I've just come to that part and it isn't nearly as funny. Niko accuses them of using that underground military facility, underneath Airatan to hide illegal...outer-space...aliens or drugs. He even suggests that they might be doing experimentation on Humans down there."

"Well that is absolutely stupid!" Cheryl said, immediately. "Max and Liz would never, ever do anything illegal, most especially drugs and the rest of his 'suggestions' are nothing but a waste of our time."

Well you know, I have read Eric's books and Airatan is the name of the royal capital on Antar!" Mason said, grinning at Cheryl.

"So what? Olaus Petersen was responsible for building that town; he probably got the idea for the name from his nephew, just like Eric got the ideas for the buildings for the movies' set designs from Olaus. Max told us that."

"I was just teasing! But Niko isn't. He could make things ugly if he says the word 'drugs' to the right people. Not that many people would believe someone like him, though."

"We need to call Max and Liz and ask them to fly out here." Cheryl said.

Just then, their private line rang.

"That could be them, now." Mason said, as he went into their bedroom to answer it.

TBC


	3. Parts 11 thru 15

**Was It A Dream? Part 11-15**

Perhaps an hour before his parents were opening their mail, Phillip found himself driving by his favorite coffee-  
shop, The Grinding Stop. He pulled his SUV into a nearby parking place and went in. His parents had told he and his sisters about this little shop, run by Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt and he had been happy to see that it was still in business, three years ago, when he had first come to Cambridge. Now he was not only a regular patron but a second generation patron at that. Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt were still there, but they were now in their sixties and their nephew did the day-to-day business of running the shop, while Mr. Schmidt served and visited with their customers. Mrs. Schmidt still had command of the kitchen, baking her famous spice cake and other delicious offerings, but now she had help.

As he stepped inside the shop door, it was as if a button had been pushed and rain came bucketing down, outside.

"You arrived just at the right time, Mr. Evans." Mr. Schmidt greeted him. "You may have our very last table, tonight."

"That would be great." Phillip said, as his host led the way.

"Would you like your usual?" He asked, as Phillip took his seat.

"Yes please. Does Mrs. Schmidt have any of her spice cake left?"

"I believe she does. "I'll bring your piece with your coffee."

"Thanks, Mr. Schmidt." Phillip said as the older man moved off.

'Nice young man, just like his father.' Mr. Schmidt thought to himself. 'He never comes in here with anyone though...also like his father.'

A few minutes later, Mr. Schmidt served Phillip his 'latte, telling him that Mrs. Schmidt would bring his cake out to him soon.

Mr. Schmidt glanced out the front windows of the shop to see that the rain was still pouring down, very heavily. People were scurrying around under umbrellas, or wearing raincoats. Then he saw a young woman quickly cross the street towards them. She had no coat or umbrella and was soaking wet from her short, brown hair, down to her jean-  
clad legs and tennis-shoes. Apparently it was a cold rain, because she was shivering as she peered in through the window for a moment, before turning to walk on past. Mr. Schmidt went to the front door and beckoned to her.

"Miss, young lady, please come in out of the rain. You are soaked. Please come in and I can call you a cab to drive you home and you can have a nice, hot cup of tea to warm yourself up with, while you wait, on the house." He said.

"I didn't want to drip on your lovely wooden floors." Sue Best replied as she came to stand on the welcome-mat, just inside the door, her arms were wrapped around her middle in a vain attempt to warm herself.

"Don't worry about the floors, they are well waxed and have stood up to almost forty years of wet and slushy feet walking across them." Mr. Schmidt said with a kind smile. "I am sorry that all of our tables are taken, but I will have a cup of tea ready for you in just a moment and then I can call a cab for you."

"Thank you. That is very kind of you." Sue said.

"Miss Best may come and sit at my table." Phillip said, from behind Mr. Schmidt.

"Ah, Mr. Evans, you know this young lady, then?" Mr. Schmidt asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes we-." Phillip started to say.

"My goodness, Mr. Schmidt, don't keep this poor, little thing standing here, catching her death of cold. Brew her some tea, while I take her in back and help her dry off a little." Mrs. Schmidt ordered her husband.

She had seen the young lady come into the shop as she was serving Phillip Evans his cake and then she had noticed his immediate interest in her and had followed him up to the front of the shop and heard him invite her to share his table.

'Interesting.' She thought to herself.

"Come my dear, let's find you a towel." She said, putting a grandmotherly arm around Sue's slim shoulders and guiding her towards the back of the shop.

Sue looked over her shoulder, towards Phillip with a "what's happening?" look in her eyes. Phillip smiled encouragingly to her.

"Sue likes a little cream and one teaspoon of sugar in her tea, Mr. Schmidt." Phillip told the older man.

"Oh? And how would you know this?" Mr. Schmidt asked, curiously.

"We are partners on a class project and she is also friends with my sister. She's come to our house for dinner several times."

"Ah and what do you think of her?" Phillip looked around and then whispered.

"I think I'm in love with her...but...we haven't, really gone out together, yet."

"Ah, well this will be a nice beginning for the two of you." Mr. Schmidt said.

Ten minutes later, Sue came back to the table and Phillip's eyes grew large and he rose from his chair, as she approached. Sue was no longer wearing her oversized, long-sleeved, cotton shirt and baggy jeans. She was now wearing a maroon, turtleneck sweater and pleated slacks and her hair had been dried and brushed. Unlike her former outfit, which was oversized and hid her figure, her new clothes fit just perfectly and the soft materials showed off her slender curves, beautifully.

"You look lovely!" Phillip surprised himself and Sue by blurting out his thoughts. Sue did not know what to say to his compliment, but she blushed at hearing it.

"Mrs. Schmidt insisted on giving me some of her cloths to wear, while she put mine in the dryer. She said that I could bring this outfit back to her in the next few days and trade them in for my jeans and shirt. Can you believe such kindness? What a sweet lady!" Sue said in wonder.

"Yes, the Schmidts are very nice people. My parents knew them when they were both attending Harvard, twenty five years ago. You look a lot more comfortable now. Come and drink your tea, or I'm sure Mr. Schmidt would brew you some coffee if you would prefer, my treat." Phillip said.

"Oh no, thank you. Tea sounds just perfect for today." Sue answered, as she took her mug and poured fragrant, hot tea out of the small ceramic teapot, which had been placed on the table, under a quilted tea-cozy, with cats prancing all over the material and added a little cream and sugar.

"Mmm, good and hot." Sue said, letting the warmth seep into her.

"It looks like Mrs. Schmidt is also going to insist that you try some of her famous spice cake." Phillip indicated the older lady who was walking towards them with a large slice of cake on a plate.

"Here you go, dear. Eat that up and you'll feel better in no time."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Schmidt, for being so kind." Sue said, shyly.

Mrs. Schmidt waved away Sue's thanks and walked back to her kitchen.

"Mmmm, this is good." Sue exclaimed, after she tried a bite.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad rhapsodized about Mrs. Schmidt's cake and Mr. Schmidt's hazelnut 'lattes." Phillip told her. They went on to chatting about their classes and their mutual friends and then Phillip changed the subject.

"So you liked seeing Mason and Cheryl's movie. Have you seen any of their other movies or the TV series they starred in, early in their careers; 'Among Us'?" Phillip asked.

"Well of course, I've seen everything they have done; after all, they are my...favorite actors." Sue saved herself from saying 'my parents' at the last second.

'Boy, I hate lying to Phillip this way. I know I could trust him and his family/friends with my true identity.' Sue thought, guiltily. Phillip continued.

"I know this has only a slight connection, but if you liked the show so much, did you also get to know the music by the artist who did the theme-song for 'Among Us'; Dido?" Phil asked.

"Are you kidding? She's one of my favorite artists!" Sue exclaimed. "That piece they use as the opening theme for 'Among Us' got me interested in her and it is still one of my favorites, it always gets my blood pumping, because I remember the exciting footage that went with it, for the show."

"Yeah, it's still one of my favorites, as well." Phillip said and then took a great big gulp of coffee, before asking. "Did you know that she's performing at the Fleet Center this Friday?"

"Oh really?" Sue asked, excitedly, but she could not bring herself to hint, or come right out and say that she would absolutely Love to go to a Dido concert...with him.

"Yeah and I can get tickets...if you would...like to go with me." Phillip asked.

"Me go with you to the concert? Really? I'd love to!" Sue exclaimed and then she back peddled a little, becoming shy again in a split-second. "Um...to go see Dido perform. And it would be very nice to go with you, as well. Thank you for asking me." Luckily, Phillip understood that Sue felt as though her first reaction had been way, way too eager and so she made her second reaction a much more controlled and courteous one. He smiled broadly at her, anyway.

"Great! The concert is at eight o'clock, perhaps I could pick you up at six and we could have dinner before the concert?" He suggested.

"That would be great!" Sue was blushing heavily now.

"You know, Sue, I'm realizing that I didn't explain my wanting to take you to the concert very well. Besides my thinking that you would enjoy it, I have wanted to get to know you better and I am hoping that we might...become more than...just friends." Phillip said gently, covering her small hands on the table, with one of his own.

"Really, you do?" Sue asked shyly, but with some new found hope and excitement shining through.

"Yes, really." Phil assured her with a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"I've wanted that as well." Sue almost whispered and managed to bring her gaze up to meet his. She was heartened to see that gentle encouragement and spark of...something else in his eyes, as their gazes met.

"So, which of Dido's songs is your favorite?" Phil tried to lighten the mood a little and they chatted on about their favorite singers and song-writers for a little while longer, until they realized what time it was and that they should be getting home. Phil paid the check and offered to drive her to her dorm. Sue nodded thankfully and they left, walking closely together, but not actually holding hands, or anything, as yet.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow in class and then I look forward to taking you out on Friday." Phil said, as he pulled up in front of Sue's building.

"Thank you for a very nice evening...and everything and I'll see you tomorrow." Sue said, as she got out.

Shortly after Phil arrived at his house, his parents called out to him, Amy and Dee, over the Connection, asking them to link into their family's frequency.

A few minutes before; California and New Mexico time zones:

"Hello?" Mason Blair answered his private phone line.

"Hello, it's me, us." The voice of Max Evans came through the line.

"I take it that you received a certain envelope in the mail, today?" Both Mason and Max had instinctively gone into "spy-mode". They were not going to say anything, which could identify themselves, if someone was tapping the phone line.

"Yeah, we need to talk. Can the two of you fly out here this weekend?" Max asked.

"I'm afraid not. Contractual obligations have us too booked up this weekend, to leave town. We will have several hours free at different times, over the weekend. Could you fly here?" Mason asked.

"I'm a little worried about coming to you, security would be absolute here. Can you see that...nothing untoward happens this weekend, if we fly out?" Max asked.

"There is a person I can contact to help me with that...someone I trust." Mason assured Max.

"Alright then, we'll make contact with you just before we leave. See you then." Max said.

"Bye." Mason said and they both hung up.

"What was that about?" Cheryl asked.

"I just had the funniest feeling that the phone might be tapped and Max had the same feeling, so we were just being careful."

"What if there's a "bug" in here, in the house?" Cheryl asked.

"I'm going to contact someone I know, tomorrow. Have him come out and check out the house and boost security, as well." Mason answered.

"Oh Mason, what about Suzie and Matt; do you think that they could be in danger?" Cheryl asked.

"I'm sure they're fine, Sweetheart. If they had received anything in the mail, I'm sure they would have called us by now. We can call them tomorrow and give them a heads-up, though."

"I'll contact Johann and make arrangements to have him fly us to L.A. on Saturday." Liz said, as soon as Max hung up the phone. Liz had been listening in on the call, as it came through their speaker-phone.

"Good, then I think we need to contact our families and then the rest of the Community. Everyone needs to be on the alert." Max said.

"Let's call our parents and see if they can come over here or go to Michael and Maria's house, so that they can be brought into this conference call." Liz said.

Liz contacted Johann, through the Connection and then called their parents. After that, Max and Liz went to sit in the reading chairs, their hands reaching out for each other's, as they sat down and got comfortable. Their parents were going to listen in from the Guerin's.

"Our families are all over, so I don't know if we will reach them all at a good time or not, but let's give it a try and see who responds. The rest can pick up our message from the Connection, later." Max said.

"Calling all of our family members and best friends, please respond. We have something important, which we need to tell you, please respond." Max called out, using their family's frequency for the Connection. This frequency covered all of their children, as well as Michael, Maria, Isabel, Alex, Tess and Kyle.

"Max, what's up? All of our parents just came-a-knockin' at our back door and said that you had an announcement to make...and by the looks on their faces, it isn't a happy announcement." Michael said.

"I'm here too, Mom and Dad." Libby said from where she stood beside Marc, holding his hand.

"We'll explain when everyone who can respond has linked in, Michael. Thanks for helping our folks to link in on this." Michael and Maria nodded.

"Mom, Dad; are you two alright? You sounded urgent." Phillip, Dee and Amy linked in.

"Max, Liz?" Isabel, Alex, Tess and Kyle linked in at almost the same moment. All of their other children linked in as well.

"Kids, everyone, we are both fine, thank you. But something has come up, which you all need to know about. After we've told you, we will have to alert the Community, as well."

"Oh my gosh, Dad, what's going on?" Libby asked for everyone.

Max and Liz took turns bringing them all up to speed. They reminded, or told for the first time, about meeting Mason and Cheryl, in Roswell, just before their wedding, the photographs, which were mistakenly taken of them and their decision to not contact each other again. Then they told of the time, fourteen years ago, when the Evanses had hosted the Blairs and their children, for one night and how once again a photographer had followed Mason and Cheryl. They explained how they had kept in touch over the years, through secret e-mail and post-office-box addresses and private phone lines.

"Why didn't you ever talk about the Blairs, all this time?" Phillip asked.

"We figured it was best not to remind you of children you had met once, but could not meet again, but we would have explained it all to you if any of you had asked about them." Liz assured her children and smiled. "Why didn't you ever ask?"

"That day and night have a strange quality to them, in my memory. Years later, I sometimes wondered if it had all been a dream." Phillip answered.

"I was over at the Guerin's that night and never met them." Dee explained.

"Suzie was another friend who I only got to know for one day. Sometimes it hurt too much to remember and think about those kids, that I never got to play with again." Libby said, sadly.

"Libby, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. How did we miss seeing that?" Liz reached out to her daughter through the Connection and they hugged.

"It's alright, Mom and Dad. Mostly it was fun, meeting all those new kids and a lot of them returned to vacation here after that, or they moved here. I just wonder about those few kids, whom I never saw again; about what they're doing now."

"Well, all I can tell you about Matt and Suzie is that they are both attending college and doing very well." Max said.

"So, what do the Blairs have to do with this emergency?" Michael asked.

Max and Liz went on to explain about the letter, which they had just received and what it meant and about their plans to fly out to California, that weekend.

"We may eventually have to open Airatan up to a select group of reporters; give them a tour, but I wouldn't put it past this Niko Giuliani character to try and get in here on his own." Max said.

"I've heard of Niko Giuliani." Isabel said. "He has a very bad rep. Even in the modeling business. Word is that he tried to break into filming models about a year ago. He didn't last one month. He's back working for some rag-  
tabloid in L.A."

"What else can you tell us about him? Do you know what he looks like?" Max asked. Isabel concentrated a moment, before she projected the picture of Niko into the Connection.

"That has to be pretty close to what he looks like." Isabel said. "He gets around a lot because he always looks so clean-cut. He dresses nicely, is handsome and can be very charming if he wants to be. That's how he gets in. His true colors come out quickly though and then he gets kicked back out. I heard that the photos he had in his portfolio were someone else's work. This was learned afterwards. Apparently he is very good at finding someone who is very talented. He intimidates the men and seduces the women into doing his work for him. He has very little talent of his own. His father is a famous photographer; 'Sneaky-John' Giuliani." Isabel said.

"Yeah, we've heard of him." Liz said. "He was down in Roswell at the same time we met Mason and Cheryl."

"I think he's working on some huge movie project, abroad." Isabel mentioned. "Maybe that's why and how Niko is able to get away with...what he has gotten away with so far."

"He is not going to get away with this." Max said, determinedly. "We'll have to work out a plan to stop him, discredit him. If they haven't already, we'll ask Mason and Cheryl to contact John Giuliani and get him to come back and take control of his son."

"Thanks for linking in, everyone." Liz said. "Kids, you should be safe at college, but if anything strange happens, you are to contact us immediately and we will bring you back here or send out a security team to you. Of course if we find out anything that indicates that any of you are in trouble, we'll contact you immediately, as well."

"Don't worry, Mom, we'll be fine. Once you've alerted the Community, we'll all be on the look-out." Phillip assured his parents.

"Good." Max said.

"And on a more pleasant note, Phillip your birthday is next week, would you like us to fly out to Cambridge, or would you like to come home for the weekend?" Liz asked.

"I...the three of us, would like to come home for the weekend." Phillip said, indicating himself, Dee and Amy.

"Great, see you then!" Liz said and they all sent out thoughts of love to each other, before they broke the Connection.

Part 12

At nine o'clock the next morning, Sue received a call from her parents.

"Mom, Dad, it must be...five o'clock at your end. Is anything wrong?" Sue asked.

"Well yes, there is something we need to tell you. Do you have a minute?" Cheryl asked.

"Yes, I don't have my first class until ten and even then, I'll skip it if necessary." Sue answered.

"No, this won't take that long, honey." Mason said. "It's just that...Niko Giuliani has crawled out from under his rock, again."

"Niko ! What does that creep want now?"

"Well, he's making some accusations about us and some friends of ours. They're groundless, of course, so you don't have to worry about us, but we just wanted you to be cautious and contact us immediately if anything strange happens, alright?"

"Yes, of course, Dad. Are you sure that you and Mom will be okay? Who are these friends of yours?" Sue asked.

"We'd rather not say over the phone for now, but don't worry, we'll work everything out. We just want you to be extra careful, alright?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm sure I'll be fine. Niko lost all interest in me once he was through using me to get to you. It was you who fired his sorry...butt, not me, so I want you two to be extra careful and don't worry about me. I take it you have already, or are about to call Matt?"

"Yes, we'll give him a warning, as well." Mason said.

"Alright then, I'll let you call him. I love you both." Sue said.

"We love you." Mason and Cheryl said, together before they hung up.

As Sue got ready for class, she could feel an anger start to build up inside herself. As she sat through her lectures, she found it harder and harder to concentrate. When se sat down next to Phil, in the lecture hall, she noticed that something was bothering him as well. Sue watched his jaw clench and unclench for a few minutes and then asked.

"Are you alright? You seem really, really tense." Phil made an effort to relax and gave Sue a grateful smile.

"I'm fine, really. There's just something going on back home, which has me worried. How are you today?" He asked.

"I'm fine, thanks." Sue smiled back, not wanting to bore Phillip with her troubles. But as the lecture started and then wore on, Phil could not help but notice that Sue was unusually restless and that her jaw was clenched tightly, as well.

"I hate to dispute a lady's word, but you don't look fine." Phil said, as they walked to their next class, together.

"Well, I may be a little worried...about something, but I'm sure everything will work out alright in the end." Sue smiled bravely at Phil.

'Oh man, why can't I just bring myself to tell Phil the truth about who I am and about what's going on? I know I can trust him.' Sue asked herself. Phil touched Sue's arm to stop their progress for a moment.

"You know that I am your friend, don't you?" Sue nodded. "You know that I am hoping to become...something more in your life, don't you?" Sue nodded again and blushed into his intense gaze. "Now let me tell you that if you ever need to or want to, you can tell me anything at all. I am a very good listener and I will always be there for you, alright?"

"Alright, thank you, Phil." Sue said as one, lone tear ran down her cheek.

Phil gently wiped the tear away with his thumb and then placed the palm of his hand on her back, to gently guide her towards their class.

'Oh man, I wanted to kiss that tear away, just now. I wanted to kiss her lips, her cheek. I wanted to take her hand, why couldn't I take her hand?' He asked himself. 'Because to be able to wipe away a tear and keep eye contact with her was enough progress for now; you've only 'known' her for two weeks and this is going to take some time.' He warned himself.

Phil had managed to lift Sue's spirits for a short time, but during their computer class, she felt her anger grow again, until she could barely type. She was angry at Niko Giuliani for being such a creep and she was angry at herself for not being able to do something to help her parents.

"Uh, I think that the poor computer yelled 'help!' five minutes ago. If we get any more error messages, it's going to blow up!" Phil said, in a calm voice as he gently took her hands off of the keyboard. Sue looked up at Phil, puzzled and then back to the computer screen. It was covered in gobbledy-gook-typing and at least three error-messages were overlapping each other, on top of her document.

"I don't think that this is a safe or productive place for you to be right now. Come with me." Phil held out his hand towards her.

"Where are we going?" Sue asked.

"Someplace safe; where you can work off some of your anger." Phil answered, as he led her out to where he had parked his SUV.

Phil helped Sue into the passenger seat and then got in himself and took off.

"Hey we're headed towards your house." Sue realized.

"Yeah, there's something there that I think will help you." Was all Phil said.

He parked in front of the house and took Sue's hand to lead her inside. After they entered through the front door, Phil took her into the kitchen and then down the basement stairs. He switched some lights on and Sue was astonished to see a finished basement with exercise equipment set up and thick mats on the floor.

"Oh my gosh, no wonder you have such great muscles!" Sue said and then she slapped her hand over her mouth and turned beet-red. "I can't believe I just said that."

"And here I was hoping that you would think I came by them naturally!" Phil grinned at her. She smiled back.

"Did you think doing some bench-presses would help my mood?" Sue asked.

"Well, maybe later, if you'd like, but first, I think this big guy might be more help." He led her over to a giant-sized punching-bag. "I get the feeling that you would really, really like to beat someone's face in. Until you get the chance to do that, or find some other way to fix whatever's bothering you, I thought that punching or kicking this bag might help." Phil suggested.

"I've never punched anything or anyone in my life." Sue said.

"How about kicking? Have you ever kicked anyone before?" Phil asked, curiously.

"Well, once, when I was seven. I kicked Johnny Worsley in the shin, when he called me 'string-bean' and tried to take my lunch-box." Sue admitted.

"Atta girl!" Phil said, proudly. "Think about the spunk you had as a little girl and take a swing at Big-John, now." He indicated the punching-bag.

Sue rolled up the sleeves on her cotton shirt and put on some protective gloves, which Phil handed to her, while he walked around to the back of the bag, to hold it steady.

Sue threw a punch at the bag, but it did not make much of a dent.

"Hmm." Phil said. "Where's the spunky little girl? Where's the anger I saw, that almost made our computer blow up?"

Sue thought for a moment, drew back her arm and then took a mighty swing at the bag. Unfortunately, she had been standing too far away from the bag, her hand never made contact and her momentum carried her so that she spun around in a circle. Phillip manfully kept the smile off of his lips and his laugh tucked safely down in his stomach, which shook a little from his suppressed amusement.

"Alright, that was my fault, I'm sorry. I didn't notice that you had stepped away from the bag." Phil said. "Step a little bit closer to the bag and imagine Johnny's smirking face, looking out at you from it.

Sue tried again and this time she connected solidly with the bag. Once one punch had been successfully thrown, she threw another using her left fist and Phil had to hold the bag steady as the punches landed. He watched Sue as it seemed that a damn of emotion had been breached and she let out several successive throws and a couple of kicks from the hip.

"I'm going to make you crawl back under the rock you came from and then I am going to smoosh you."

"You used me and then dumped me. I'll make you regret that!"

"All your scumbag friends were in on the big joke too."

Phil was getting the feeling that she was not punching Johnny; she was punching...someone else.

"You are not going to get away, this time!"

"Take that, you lying son-of-a..." Sue gave the bag one, last, mighty kick, which had Phillip staggering back a few steps.

"Hey, way to go!" Phillip exclaimed.

"Thanks that felt good." Sue said.

"Are you feeling a little less stressed-out?" Phil asked.

"Yeah. How about you? You were stressed-out in class, as well. Why don't you show me how a pro uses this thing?" Sue suggested, as she moved in to hold the bag steady.

"Yeah, it would feel good to pummel something for a few minutes." Phil agreed.

"I want you to hold this bag tightly, put all of your weight against it, but be ready to let go and jump aside if I hit the bag too hard, alright?"

"Sure." Sue said.

Sue quickly realized how strong (angry and frustrated) Phil was, because he could punch the bag with more force than she had been able to kick the bag, with the full force of her leg. He did not say anything as he punched the large bag, only the speed with which he struck out, changed; from slow and powerful to impossibly fast.

"Boy, I'm glad you aren't kicking this thing. I can barely hold it still as it is." Sue said. Phil slowed down and then stopped, his breathing rapidly coming back to normal.

"Ahh, I feel better now." Phil said.

"Yeah I feel a lot better too. More in control and I want to thank you for that." Sue said. "Usually, my anger only leads to tears, because I've always felt so helpless with...this problem I'm having. But having you, Dee, Amy and the others as friends, has really helped me come back to life; recapture, as you said, the spunk and self-confidence I had as a little girl."

"I'm glad we could help, Sue. You have become very special to...us, as well."

"I know now that if I want to put a stop to this, I have to stop hiding and running away. Phil, there's something I have to tell you about myself and please, please, don't be mad at me when I tell you what it is."

"Don't worry, Sue. I won't be angry. I understand perfectly about hiding and keeping yourself safe. In fact, there's something I've wanted to tell you, as well. But you go first and don't worry; whatever you have to tell me, it will be alright." Phil pulled Sue over to a bench on which they could sit down.

"I'm really sorry Phil, I feel so bad about this, but I've been lying to you. I'm not who I told you I was and my parents aren't some paper-pushers, who work for one of the networks. May name is Susan Blair and my parents are Mason Blair and..."

"...Cheryl Appleton." Phillip finished for her with a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry for keeping my identity secret from you. Back in high school, a guy and all of his buddies pretended to be my friends. He went out with me during our last semester of our senior year. He told me how much he loved me and laughed at all of my corny jokes. Then he took me to the Senior Prom and...and dumped me in front of everyone!" Instead of getting weepy, Sue was getting mad and her voice started to rise until she was almost shouting.

"The little creep had been double-timing me with the head-cheerleader, while he acted all gentlemanly and sweet towards me. When we arrived at the Prom, it was as if I'd become invisible. All of a sudden, my so-called friends wouldn't speak to me, or even acknowledge my presence and my boyfriend had left me at the door and was dancing with his pom-pom girl. When I got angry and demanded to know why he wasn't dancing with me, it was as if he had taken off a mask; his true personality finally showed itself."

Flashback

"Why would I want to be seen with you for one second more, now that I have what I want? Weren't five, stinking months of looking at your ugly face and stringy hair, long enough? I only went out with you so that I could meet your father, the great Mason Blair and have him get me a job at the studio. He got jobs for a bunch of my buddies, too." His friends were all laughing at her.

"But I thought we were both going to attend Stanford together? What about all your plans for the future?" Sue asked.

"I've got plans, baby. Just not the ones I fed you. I'm going to become a famous photographer, even more famous than my old man. Then he'll have to show me some respect." Niko said.

"You have to earn respect, Niko." Sue told him.

"Yeah, yeah, yada, yada. You've got your answers, why don't you just beat it? Get out of here." Niko said.

"Yeah you were never one of us, get lost." The cheerleader, whom Susan had thought of as a friend, said.

Sue wanted to slap their smirking faces, but instead she raised her chin, did an about-face and marched herself off of the dance floor and went outside to use her cell-phone, to call her parents. She did not cry until she was safely home and being held by her father's strong arms.

"I can't believe he tricked me like that. That I was so gullible." Sue cried.

"You think you're gullible, just look at me? I'm the one who should have seen his wolf's-hide under his sheep's -  
wool. Now, unless I can find a reason to fire him, we're stuck with him for six months. The slime-ball should have become an actor; this performance of his would have won him every award there is." Mason said.

End Flashback

"I made my Valedictorian speech at Commencement, the next week, with Niko's hecklings disturbing the ceremony. I'd been accepted at several other universities, including Harvard, so I backed out of Stanford and came here instead. I couldn't trust anyone, anymore, especially guys; didn't even want one to touch me. I didn't want anyone to ever befriend me again if it was only because of who my parents are, so Mom and Dad helped me enroll here under the name; Susan Best...and I cut my hair short." This was when the first sign of tears showed up in Sue's eyes.

"It worked out well for being on the swim-team, but I had always loved my long hair." Sue stiffened her wobbling chin.

"Yeah, I remember your hair as being so long, thick and shiny...when we were seven and played together that day." Phillip finally stuck in, keeping his gaze steady on Sue's face.

"What?" Sue asked, shocked.

"Do you remember when you were seven years old; your parents brought you and your brother, Matt to an art fair? While there, they met up with some old friends of theirs; my parents. All four of you came to our house and you and your brother played with my sister, Libby and I. Then we all ate dinner together and you stayed the night." Phil said, still watching Sue for any sign of memory.

"Oh my gosh, it really wasn't a dream, was it?" Sue said, as she reached inside her shirt collar and pulled out the copper-V, which she had been wearing for seven years.

Part 13

"You still have it? You even made it into a pendant?" Phil asked Sue, as he saw her draw the copper-V out from inside her shirt collar.

"Yes, I still have it, although I lost it that night you made if for me out of seven pennies. It somehow dropped through a crack in the plastic lining of my backpack. I only found it again by accident, seven years ago. Up until that day, I had convinced myself that our whole magical visit to your valley had been a dream."

"I sometimes thought that, as well, over the years." Phillip agreed, smiling even more. "And to think I've known you all these years, but didn't really know you, recognize you, for who you really are." Sue said.

"Well same here. I didn't recognize you either, especially with your name change." Phil said. "And you certainly have grown up; from a pretty little girl, to a lovely young woman." Phil said and Sue blushed.

"You've grown up too. You're no longer that cute little boy, but a handsome man, now." Sue covered her red, heated cheeks with her hands and turned away.

"And you've always kept secret, what you saw that night." Phil made it a statement of fact, rather than a question. "I want to thank you for that."

"There is no need. What I saw that night was beautiful and magical. It wasn't something I would have shared with grown ups, even if you hadn't asked me not to tell anyone. They wouldn't have understood the wondrousness of what you could do!" Sue said.

"It's great to see my friend, Suzie again!" Phillip smiled more broadly and opened his arms a little and Sue launched herself into them, without any hesitation and hugged him back.

To Sue, it was as if Phillip had become a whole, new person. He was already a trusted friend, with the potential for becoming more and now, laid over that personality was another, of a little boy who had played with her one afternoon and then someone who had opened up a world of wonder and imagination to her young heart, that night. She felt totally safe and happy within his warm, strong embrace.

"Sue would it be alright if I tell my sister and our friends here, who you really are? You know that you can trust them to keep your identity secret, but it is your decision."

"Yes, of course it would be alright, especially Dee and Amy." Sue agreed.

"Good, come on. Everyone should be home by now." Phil took her hand as they walked up the stairs, from the basement and into the kitchen.

"Hey Dee, do you know if everyone's home, yet?" Phillip asked his sister.

"Yeah, Ed was the last to arrive, just a few minutes ago. Hi Sue." Dee greeted her friend.

"Hi Dee." Sue said, a little shyly, anxious about telling these people her secret.

"Dee, we need to tell everyone something. Could you ask everyone to gather in the living room, please?"

"Sure." Dee said and went to do as her brother requested.

"Would you like something to drink, before we go into the living room?" Phil asked.

"Maybe some iced-tea, please?" Sue requested and Phil nodded, getting two glasses down from a cupboard.

"Sue, before we go in there, may I ask you if your parents have called you recently about a problem they're having? And is that why you've been so angry and upset?"

"How could you possible know about that?" Sue asked, shocked.

"Did they happen to tell you that their trouble involves some friends of theirs?" At Sue's nod, Phil continued. "Those friends are my parents, Sue."

"Oh my gosh!" Sue exclaimed.

"Mom and Dad...contacted us last night to tell us what is going on with this Niko Giuliani. The whole house is now on the alert, in case he comes after Dee or myself, or one of them. They will happily help keep you safe as well." Phil told her.

"Oh Phillip, I am so sorry that Niko has included your parents, your friends and family in all of this." Sue cried, placing her hand on his arm.

"Wait a minute, Sue, are you saying that you know this Niko character?...Sue is he...is he the one who hurt you in high school? I only understood parts of what you were saying, while you were using the punching-bag, but..."

"Yes I know him, or knew him in high school, anyway." Sue said, looking down at her feet.

"Sue, it'll be alright." Phil said, as he gently lifted her chin with his forefinger. "Come on; let's go tell the others, okay?" Phil handed her, her glass of iced-tea, put his arm around her shoulders and ushered her into the living room.

They entered the living room and sat down in the seats, saved for them, in the middle of the sofa.

"Is everything alright? I thought I heard some yelling coming from the basement, earlier." Amy asked, concerned.

"I'm sorry, that was me." Sue confessed. "I had some steam, which really needed to be purged and Phillip thought that a few minutes with the punching-bag would help. It did!" Amy and everyone chuckled.

"But I'm afraid that I do have something I need to tell you and you probably won't like it. You have all been so nice to me and I feel awful, because I've...been lying to you."

"It's not really a lie and you had a good reason for what you did." Phil said.

"It was a lie, because I've been hiding behind a false identity. My name isn't really Susan Best, it is...Susan Blair." She said, looking guiltily into her lap.

"Oh man, your parents are the famous movie stars?" Ed asked.

"Yes."

"You did this so that reporters wouldn't be bothering you, right?" Audrey asked.

"Partly, yes."

"Well then that is totally understandable." Amy said.

"What's the over part?" Shaun asked.

"That's personal." Phillip replied, instantly, protectively, frowning at Shaun.

"It's okay, Phillip, thank you. I don't mind telling them the whole story, especially now that I know that they all may be involved by this." Sue said.

"Involved in what?" Shaun asked.

"Let me tell you..." Sue said, telling them about her relationship with Niko in high school, her parent's relationship with him afterwards and that she knew Niko was the reason behind their problems, but not specifically how or why.

After all of the girls had come over to hug her, comfortingly and all of the guys had made rude remarks about what they wanted to do to Niko, Phillip filled Sue in on exactly how Niko was including his family and his whole town, in on his accusations and threats. He came very close to telling Sue the whole truth about themselves, but stopped at the safe point, until he had, had a chance to speak to her in private.

"So that's what we know guys. We can work out a plan to keep Sue safe a little later, alright?" Phil asked and everyone nodded, as they got up to leave the room.

"Why don't we go up to my room? I figure you have a lot of questions to ask." Phil suggested.

"Oh yes, I do. I'd love to hear what you've been up to all these years, plus...something else." Sue said, hesitantly.

'I can just guess what that something else is.' Phil thought to himself, as he took Sue's hand in his and led the way upstairs, to his room.

Phil offered his desk chair, for Sue to sit in, while he sat on the foot of his bed, across from her.

"Why don't we get that 'something else' out of the way, first?" Phil suggested. "I can guess what it is." Sue thought a moment and then nodded.

"I once asked you if you were a witch or a fairy and you told me no. I believe you were telling me the truth, then, but if you aren't either of those things, what are you? How were you able to do all of those wondrous things, that night? I know you said that you could not tell me, then; that you would not betray your people, but...Phillip, I've kept your secret all of these years. Do you think you could tell me now, knowing that I would never betray you or your people?" Phillip nodded thoughtfully. He knew that this question would come up and he already knew his answer.

"I know you won't betray us, but I wonder if you will believe me when I tell you...The truth is pretty unbelievable." Phillip said.

"Just tell me." Sue said.

"Okay, I have two questions for you. One; have you heard of the rumor about a UFO supposedly crashing outside of Roswell, New Mexico, back in the late 40s?"

"Sure, everyone has. My parents even starred in a movie and TV series about the aliens from that crash, living among us; you know that." Sue said.

"Yes, right, of course." Phil said and then he thought for a moment more.

"Two; have you ever thought about what it would be like, if that rumor, the movie, the TV series were...true?"

"What? You want to know what I would think...if aliens really were living among us?" Phil nodded, keeping his gaze steady, on Sue's face.

"Well...I might be a little worried, not knowing why they came to Earth, what their plans were. But if I took the scenario from 'Among Us'; that they came to find a new home and I knew that they just wanted to live here, peacefully...then I would be happy to let them live in peace and I would love to get to know them, learn about their world." Sue said.

Phillip did not say anything. He was just wondering how he had been so lucky as to find such an open-minded person as Sue, to fall in love with. His gaze had unintentionally remained unbroken, on Sue's face and after a moment, she started to smile.

"Oh my goodness...you are...one of those aliens from the crash? But how can that be? The crash took place, what, eighty-four years ago?" Sue asked; a look of wonder in her eyes.

"Actually...it was my father...who was in the crash." Phil clarified.

"But then your father would be in his 60s or 70s and you're only in your 20s, aren't you?"

"Yes, Sue. I will turn twenty-one in just over a week, but my father and mother are both forty-nine. You see, my dad and aunts and uncle were placed in stasis chambers for the trip, because our planet was so far away and my people could not sustain life-support any other way. They were supposed to be brought out of stasis when they arrived here, but the ship crashed and their pods were damaged. Their protector managed to hide their pods before he was captured, but he was unable to repair them after he escaped. My father and his family finally emerged from their pods in 1989, but they came out separately, wandered away from their hiding place and were eventually picked up by the couples, who became their parents, my grandparents."

"How old were they, when they came out?" Sue asked. She was so intrigued by her questions and Phil's answers that she got up from her chair and came to sit next to Phil, on the bed.

"They were only ten years old. The other children, who traveled with them in their own, individual space-crafts, were sixteen or seventeen."

"What happened to them?" Sue asked.

"They crash-landed in Sweden. They all immediately came out of their pods and buried or destroyed them. Good thing too; World War Two was still being fought in Europe and even though they were in neutral Sweden, they were not safe. An old widow-woman took them in, thank goodness. Her name was Hedvig Petersen. The teenagers took her last name as their own." Phillip explained.

"Petersen...as in Eric Petersen, the author of the Antarian series? Oh my goodness, are you telling me that Eric Petersen, whose books were made into movies, in which my parents both played leading rolls...is an alien?" Phil could only nod before Sue continued.

"Are you telling me that his books are real? Was your world really named Antar? Was it really destroyed when its sun went nova?" Phil jumped in with a few answers, while Sue caught her breath.

"Yes, Eric Petersen is the son of one of the original ten children, who were sent to Earth in hopes of finding and making a home here. Yes, his books are true, Antarian history. He started writing them when he and his family feared that they were the only survivors, here on Earth. They had been unable to make contact with my parents, as yet and he wanted something of Antar to live on, even if humans only thought of them as science fiction."

Sue sat thinking for a moment, her expression becoming very sad as she remembered what the books had said about the end of the planet Antar.

"Only a few hundred children were able to escape, before the planet was destroyed, with everyone else, who couldn't escape, trapped on the planet...your true grandparents...?" Sue asked, as her right hand unconsciously came up to stroke Phillip's cheek, gently. Phillip could only nod.

"You lost your family, your world, your heritage in the blink of an eye. How do your parents...how do you cope with that?" Sue asked, her hand still stroking his cheek.

"We cope by keeping their memories alive; in our hearts and in our stories. We have lost our planet and most of our people, but our heritage is very much alive and well. We have excellent historical records and we have gathered together, from across the galaxy, to live in one, united community. There is a little bit of Antar here on Earth and it is growing and it is spreading our heritage and customs out to the world." Phil answered.

"And." Phillip continued, as he covered Sue's hand on his check, with his own. "We cope by meeting special people, like you and sharing our secret with them." Phil turned his face under her hand, until his lips were positioned under the palm of her hand and he kissed it, closing his eyes to savor the sensation all the better.

Sue made a small sound and her mouth hung open a little, while her eyes closed, as well, to enhance the sensations she was picking up on, from her tingling nerve endings.

"Your town, Airatan, is that little bit of Antar, here on Earth, isn't it? Did your people really come from other planets...out in space, to live here together on Earth?" Sue asked.

"Yes." Phillip nodded. He was holding Susan's hand in his, as they both rested on his leg, now. "Twenty-five years ago, my father, his family, including all of my grandparents and Eric and his family, worked together to buy the valley from the government. They had only just made contact with the other Antarians, who were living out in space. As soon as they learned that the ten children had survived here on Earth, there was a great desire; a yearning for all of us to live together, here.

"Wouldn't it have been easier for the ten children to move to one of those planets, out in space?" Sue asked, as her thumb started to stroke the back of Phillip's hand. Phillip hesitated, thinking for a moment, a process which was becoming difficult, under Susan's soft stroking.

"What did Eric's books tell you about the children who came to Earth?" He asked, instead.

"Um, there were ten of them; they were all in their teens; six of them were normal, everyday kids, but...four of them were...royal. The four were the children of the King and Queen of Antar and their High Counselors. Phillip, are you saying that your' Prince and Princess survived and were living here on Earth? Is that why all of the rest of your people immigrated here?" Phillip nodded.

"Has the Prince become your...king, now, or the Princess, your queen?"

"Yes, almost twenty-five years ago, Prince Zan was declared King, by all of our people. His sister, Princess Valondra did not want to take up her birthright, but she helps our king and queen whenever necessary." Phillip said. He could not tell why he was speaking in third-person, as if his king was a stranger to him, rather than his own father.

"Wait a minute; I thought you said your father was the mayor of your small town. Why would you need a mayor as well as...a...king? Oh my goodness...your father and mother are the king and queen, aren't they?" Phillip nodded, modestly.

"Zan was his true name, given to him by his birth-parents, but Max Evans was the name given to him by his adoptive parents?"

"Yes."

"So you are the new prince, the next king?" Sue asked.

"Yeah, probably, but that won't happen for a long time yet and even then, it's not that big a deal. We're all pretty casual in Airatan." Phillip said and then he chuckled, while holding Sue's head steady, by cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand and allowing his fingers to dip back into her soft hair.

"Now, the shoe is on the other foot; how, oh how will I ever be able to tell if you like me because of who I am, or because I'm a prince?" He stuck his bottom lip out, in a playful pout, humor pouring out through his gorgeous eyes.

"That's easy; we knew each other before I ever knew you were a prince. And my attitude and reactions about you will never change, now that I do know." Sue said. "It's like..." But Phil interrupted her.

"But I'd like your attitude and reaction to change; become warmer, more intimate." Phil said. His statement gave Sue the courage to continue what she had been about to say.

"And I was about to tell you, before you interrupted that it's like that song says: 'It's in her kiss.'" Sue sang the few words before she did what she had wanted to do since she had finished with the punching-bag; she leaned in and gave Phil a sweet kiss on the lips.

She had meant to make it a quick kiss, but Phil reacted immediately; his left hand came up to join his right hand in cradling Sue's lovely face between them.

"You're right, it IS in her kiss!" Was all he said before his lips claimed hers again in a gentle, but intense caress of her lips and mouth.

Part 14

Phil and Sue ended their intense kisses, but stayed in each other's embrace for a few moments longer.

"Oh, I have wanted to do that for the last two weeks, ever since I first really met you." Phil said, as he cradled her head with his hand and kept it resting against his broad shoulder.

'I've wanted to do that for the last three years.' Sue thought to herself.

"Me too." Was what she said out loud, though.

Just then, Dee yelled up the stairs that dinner was ready and they walked downstairs, hand in hand and into the kitchen to fill their plates, before going to sit in the dining room. This time, Phillip pulled out a chair for Sue to sit in. The seat was on his right hand side, a place for honored guests. Only Phillip noticed the glances being shared around the table and the smiles on each of his friend's faces, for what he had just done. It looked as though their prince had just chosen his princess. Dinner was a happy, noisy time, while Sue kept them laughing with tales about what funny things she had seen happen at her parent's parties or on their movie sets.

"So tell me about what you've been doing since we met, fourteen years ago." Phillip urged, as they walked back up to his room to talk, after dinner.

"Only if you tell me what you've been up to, as well." Sue specified and Phil nodded.

They got comfortable, kicking off their shoes and lying down on his bed, with about one foot between them and talked for hours. They found out that they had much in common; they had watched the same TV shows and movies as children; spent their summer days at the pool and had belonged to a girl/boy scout troop for a couple years, each. They had covered their favorite singers and songwriters, at the Grinding Stop, the night before, so after they had talked about their childhood, they started discussing books and movies...until they fell asleep, almost at the same instant.

Amy and Dee came laughing up the stairs, turned into the hallway, to climb the second flight, to their third-floor rooms and came face to face with Phillip's open bedroom door.

"Oh my gosh, they fell asleep together!" Amy exclaimed, but in a whisper, from the doorway.

"But as always, my dear brother was being the perfect gentleman; they're still wearing everything but their shoes and there's at least a foot of bed between them. He's enough to give the best match-maker an ulcer." Dee said in sisterly disgust.

"They're holding hands; that is really sweet." Amy whispered, encouragingly.

"I'm going to spread a blanket over them, close the door and see if anything else develops over night. Set your alarm for five and we'll meet back here, then."

Amy slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles, as Dee spread a blanket over her brother and her friend, then the girls tip-toed up to their rooms and burst into laughter, when they got there.

5 a.m. the next morning.

Amy and Dee came downstairs to the second floor and stood outside Phillip's closed door.

"I don't hear anything." Dee whispered, with her ear against the door.

"Open it, let's look inside!" Amy urged and Dee slowly turned the knob.

"Ohmygosh!" Amy mumbled behind Dee's hand over her mouth, which had come up to quiet her outburst.

Phillip's bed was placed up against the far wall, in his small room, so that the girls had a perfect view of the two occupants on the bed. Dee raised her camera to take a picture.

"Don't use a flash, you'll wake them up!" Amy whispered into her ear, urgently.

"But I want a picture of this!" Dee whispered back just as determined.

"I brought my digital camera, we should be able to lighten up the image on my computer and if that doesn't work, we can still use a little alien-film-developing-magic." Amy whispered.

"You go girl!" Dee motioned her into the room with a bow.

Amy took several pictures and then the girls tip-toed back out of the room, closed the door and ran back upstairs to Amy's room.

6:30 a.m.

Phillip woke up to the unfamiliar, yet pleasant feeling of having a beautiful, young woman snuggled up against him, in his arms. He opened his eyes to see that his other senses had not misled him. Sue was indeed asleep, with her head on his shoulder, her hand and arm resting on his chest and the rest of her slim body, plastered up against his side, as he lay on his back. He in turn, had one of his arms lying under her back and other hand resting in the curve of her waist.

'Oh man, this feels sooo...good! She is so nice and warm against me, her hair is soft against my face and it...she smells so good!' Phil groaned to himself.

He remembered how this predicament had come about. They had been catching up on each other's lives for hours, last night, when they both simply could not keep their eyes open and had fallen asleep.

'We must have gravitated towards each other, during the night.' He reasoned, as he looked his fill of Sue's sweet face, which lay just inches away from his own.

'Should I kiss Sleeping Beauty awake, or just enjoy watching her sleep?' He wondered. 'I'll just watch over her for a while.' He decided.

After a few minutes, however, he could not stop himself from gently brushing her hair back from her face or running his fingertips along her eyebrows, jaw line, or over her lips and she began to stir.

"Mmm, what a wonderful dream!" Sue mumbled to herself, while her eyes were still closed, she stretched like a feline, arching her back and legs and Phillip stifled a groan.

"I must still be dreaming. I can feel Phillip's warm, hard body next to mine." She whispered to herself.

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty." A soft, deep voice whispered in her ear.

Sue's eyes popped opened to the glorious view of Phillip Evans' handsome face leaning over him. As her vision cleared, uncertainty started to cloud her eyes again, her face became flushed with embarrassment and her body tensed up.

'This cannot be happening.' Sue thought, frantically, feeling her new-found happiness start to crumble. 'What did I do? What did we do, here on this bed? What is he going to think of me now?'

Phillip could read all of her questions in her panicked eyes and agitated movements.

"Sue, Suzie, everything is alright. There is nothing to be frightened of or embarrassed about. Remember last night? We were just talking and we must have fallen asleep. That is all that happened, I'm sure of it; we are still fully clothed and I would never, ever disrespect any girl that way, especially you."

"Are you sure? And you don't think I'm some kind of...some sort of..." Sue asked miserably, as she rolled away from Phillip and out of his arms.

"NO! Of course not. I've only known you for two weeks, but I know that you are a sweet, incredibly smart, innocent young woman. I know that you aren't the kind of girl who would...do...that." Sue stayed where she was, facing away from him with her knees drawn up part way.

"Suzie, come on, why don't we get up and you can wash your lovely face and then we can go downstairs and have some breakfast." Phil suggested.

"How can I face your sister, your friends?"

"By my side, with your chin up. Nothing happened and they will know that. Hey, someone came in and put this blanket over us last night. Probably Dee or Amy, so most likely they already know you spent the night here." Phil said calmly.

"Okay." Sue said after a brief pause and then she sat up.

Phil got off the bed on his side and came around to Sue and extended his hand out to her. Sue took it and got up from the bed. Hand in hand they walked out of Phil's room and across the hall to the bathroom. Sue went in, while Phil stood outside to assure her privacy, since this was the boy's floor.

"Oh shoot, they're already up!" Dee told Amy, as the two girls came down the hallway. "Hi Phil, where's Sue?" Dee asked.

"She's using the bathroom and please don't tease her. She was frightened and very embarrassed, finding herself in my bed this morning." The two girls immediately became serious.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, Phil. You two just looked so sweet and innocent, last night; sleeping on top of your bedspread, with your careful foot of space between the two of you...I couldn't bring myself to wake you both up, so that you could drive Sue home. I just covered you with an extra blanket and shut the door." At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Sue came out.

"Morning, Sue. You look well rested." Sue teased just a little bit and then became serious again.

"Don't you worry about anything, chica; everyone in the house knows that the two of you are a perfect gentleman and lady, respectively." Dee soothed.

"More's the pity." Amy mumbled and the two girls almost started giggling again.

"No one outside this house will ever know that you weren't sleeping over here, with us girls, upstairs. We are your friends and friends don't spread tales." Amy said.

"Thank you, I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression about me." Sue said.

"No chance of that. Come on, why don't we all have some breakfast and then Amy or I can drive you home." Dee said, linking her arm with Sue and guiding her downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Why don't you brush your hair, Phil, before gracing us with your presence at the breakfast table?" Amy suggested, before she followed her friends down the stairs.

Phil nodded, happy that Sue was in such good hands. A few minutes later, Phil walked down the stairs to hear girlish giggles coming from the kitchen, so he stopped to listen, before going in.

"Amy did you ever notice how handsome your pseudo-boyfriend is, first thing in the morning?" Sue asked, giggling.

"Well, these pictures we took of the two of you certainly show it." Amy said.

"May I take this one home with me?" Sue asked.

"Sure, where will you keep it?" Dee asked.

"Under my pillow!" Sue said.

"So you can kiss him good-night?" Amy asked.

"Maybe!" Sue said coyly and they all broke into laughter again.

"My goodness ladies, so much giggling! Did you swallow a bunch of feathers with your cereal? Are they at this moment tickling the insides of your stomachs?" Phil asked, casually, as he walked into the kitchen and over to the coffee-maker, as if he had not just heart what his lovely Sue had just said, or noticed the girls scrambling to hide the pictures from him.

"No, we were talking about men and so we could not help but start to laugh." Dee replied.

"Oh, low blow, Sis." Phil said, laughing good naturedly.

As they ate their breakfast, Phil could not help remember how beautiful Sue had been, first thing that morning, when he had woken up to find her in his bed.

"I'll see you in class and then we're still going to attend that concert, Friday night, right?" Phil asked Sue, before she left the house with Dee.

"I'm just wondering whether I should fly home this weekend, to be with my parents." Sue mentioned with a worried look in her large, brown eyes. Phil nodded.

"Good point. I've been wondering the same thing myself. Why don't I pick you up tonight, after your swim-team practice? I can bring you back here and we can contact my parents and ask their advice, alright?"

Alright." Sue said smiling and reassured; she gave Phil a quick, sweet kiss before following Dee out the door.

Neither girl saw Phil turn to Amy, asking to see the pictures he knew that they had taken. After looking at them all, he chose one and ran upstairs to place it under his pillow.

"Hi Sue, great practice." Phil said, giving her a quick hello-kiss, when Sue came out of the locker-room, after swim-  
team practice, later that night.

"Thanks, yeah it went well." Sue said, as they walked beside each other, out to Phil's SUV.

"So, you think your parents will be home when you all them?" Sue asked, after she had settled into her seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"Yeah, well I've already made a preliminary call, asking them to be home tonight." Phil said and Sue nodded.

They chatted about their classes until they arrived at Phil's home. When they entered the house, Phil took her up to his room.

"So where's your phone, or do you use a vid-com?" Sue asked.

"Actually, when calling home, we use something else." Phil answered. "Sue, one of the urges we had, to live together as a people, came about when my mother and father were crowned. As a part of the coronation oaths, which they and all Antarians make to each other, a permanent, psychic connection was made, between us all. But don't worry, we all have complete privacy in our thoughts, we cannot really read minds or anything, but there is a connection, a psychic frequency through which we can communicate with one another; it binds us together as a people. It's the way we used to live on Antar, connected to our environment and to each other. That's also why we established these houses on college campuses, so that each house could have an orb and we students could all stay connected."

"An orb, what's that?" Sue asked.

Phil picked up the small, football-shaped object from his bookshelf, to show Sue.

"This is usually down in the living room, but I brought it up here, because I figured that you'd want to see if for yourself."

"So, this is your communicator? Can its signal reach all the way out into space?" Sue asked, turning the alien device over in her hands.

"Far, far out into space and more. Each orb holds our entire historical archive, including images of our artwork and recordings of our music."

"Wow! Is there any way for a human to...? Could I use it to learn about your planet and your people?" Sue asked.

"Sure, with one of us to connect you." Phil said and Sue smiled.

"But right now, how about we call my parents?" Phil asked and Sue nodded.

"Take my hand, close your eyes and try to blank out your mind." Phil instructed.

'Oh my gosh!' Sue exclaimed, as she suddenly found herself standing by Phil in a comfortable family room, decorated in earth-tones. There were several large, arched windows looking out, over two valleys. 'Do I remember correctly; is this your parent's home?' Sue asked Phil and he nodded.

'Hi, Mom and Dad. It's Phil...and I have someone special with me, as well.' Phil called out.

'Hello sweetheart.' Liz and Max came through a doorway and walked over to hug their son. 'Is this your special someone?' Liz asked, turning to Sue.

'Yes. Mom and Dad, this is Susan Blair.' Phil introduced her.

'Mr. and Mrs. Evans, oh my, I had totally forgotten how much you look like my parents...how much my parents look like you!'

'Little Suzie!' Liz exclaimed, as she hugged her, as well. 'But not little anymore, what a lovely young woman you've grown up to be!'

'Mrs. Evans, it is very nice to see you again, as well. Mr. Evans.' Sue turned to Max and shook his proffered hand.

'Susan, I'm sorry we had to meet again under these stressful circumstances.' Max patted her hand, comfortingly. 'May I ask you how the two of you met?'

'We've been taking classes together for years, but we only, really met two weeks ago, through Dee, who is taking architectural history with Sue.' Phil explained.

'But I complicated things, I'm afraid.' Sue confessed. 'I've been attending Harvard under an assumed name, so Phil didn't know it was really me until last night. And I didn't remember his name at all, from when we were little, so it was just happy happenstance that we met and became...friends.'

'And of course she kept our secret all these years and with the two of us becoming more than just friends...' Phil said, as he gazed intently at Sue. 'I went ahead and told her everything about us. Incredibly, she still likes me and wants to help us!' Phil explained.

'Mom, Sue is the girl I told you about. She's told me that it was Niko, who emotionally hurt her, back in high school.' Phil told his mother, over their private frequency. Liz nodded and turned to Sue with compassionate eyes.

'Your parents have told you about what this Niko-character is doing?' She asked Sue.

'Yes and since I knew him back in high school, I was wondering if I should fly out to LA this weekend, to be there, when you meet with my parents.' Sue asked.

'I don't think that's necessary at this point, Sue.' Max said. 'Niko did not mention you, your brother or any of our children in his threats. You all may be included in our strategy meetings in the future, but this first meeting with Mason and Cheryl should be between just the four of us.' Liz nodded her agreement.

'Sue, we've been contemplating what to tell your parents...about us. We don't like lying to them, especially now, when so many of Giuliani's threats and assumptions are...true. They should be told the truth, but how do you think they will react?' Max asked. Sue grimaced.

'They'll be very, very skeptical, Mr. Evans. Their careers have been all about making people believe...in make-  
believe. Everything that you can do because you are...aliens, they've seen done by special-effects. They believe heavily in reality, in what they can see, hear, touch, smell and taste. With as many sci-fi TV shows and movies as they've done, they don't believe in aliens, ghosts, vampires or dragons. Sorry.' Sue said.

'Oh man.' Max sighed.

'Maybe we should take things one step at a time; tell them the truth only if necessary.' Liz suggested.

'I don't know if that's such a good idea, either. They are very big on honesty, as well.' Sue told them.

'Then we will just have to find a way to make them believe.' Liz said.

'We may have to ask you to testify in our behalf, Sue. But for now, Liz and I will try talking to them, when we fly out on Saturday.' Max said.

'Alright, Dad, I just wanted to introduce Sue to you, let you know what's happening and offer to fly to LA with you.' Phil said.

'Thanks, Son. Let's see how things go. Something tells me we'll need the two of you before this is over. It was nice to see you again, all grown up, Sue.' Max said, giving her a fatherly kiss on the forehead.

'Take care.' Liz said, moving in to hug Sue and Phil again. 'You take care of this special young lady of yours.' She told her son.

'I will.' Phil promised.

'Good-bye, Mr. and Mrs. Evans; it was nice seeing you two again.' Sue said, before the connection ended and she found herself back in Phillips room.

"Ohhh boy, that was like a virtual reality telephone!" Sue exclaimed and Phil grinned as he drew her into his arms.

"They liked you." He told her, gazing intently into her eyes. Sue blushed.

"I hope so...I...like their son...very much." Sue admitted.

"I'm glad and as much as I would like to repeat our sleeping arrangements from last night, I think I'd better get you home." Phil said, reluctantly. Sue nodded, also reluctantly, as they walked down the stairs and outside to Phil's car.

"I'll see you in class." Phil said, as they drove up and stopped in front of Sue's dorm.

"Good night, Phil." Sue said, as she moved in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Night, Sue." Phil said, as he turned his head so that her lips landed on his. "What's with the little peck on the cheek?" Phil asked; chuckling after their sweet kiss ended.

"I'm still a little unsure of myself and...us." Sue said, shyly.

"I don't want to frighten you, rush you, or make you nervous, but please remember that you are very special to me and it's my fervent hope that you will learn to feel comfortable with kissing me, as you already seem to be, when I kiss you, alright, Sweetheart?" Sue could only smile and nod...before she quickly leaned in to give him a quick, yet powerful kiss and then got out of the car, waving good-night as she went.

'And she thinks I'm going to be able to sleep now, after that?' Phil asked himself, as he drove back home to his lonely bed.

Part 15

Friday night came and Phillip would be arriving at Sue's dorm any minute.

Does this look alright" Sue asked her roommate, Sally.

"Alright, Sue that dress looks great! You look great! You've come alive all of a sudden. You are so lucky to have bagged Phillip Evans. I didn't even know he was available. If I didn't already have my boyfriend, Gary, I would be so jealous; Phil is one handsome hunk!"

"Oh thanks, make me even more nervous." Sue replied.

"No worries, roomy. That dress is perfect; it's sleeveless, tight, has a short skirt, nice scoop neck and maroon is your color. Then to keep you warm, that silky-looking shawl with its pretty pattern in maroon, rust and gold will look romantic around your shoulders and sexy, tied around your waste, at the concert. You never sit down at those things; you'll be dancing and clapping all night."

"Does my copper necklace look alright with the dress?" Sue asked.

"Hey, it brings out the rust and gold in your shawl." Sally said, nodding her head, approvingly. "I really like this new you. I've been worried about you, chica. Whatever this Phillip Evans is doing, he's brought you back to life."

"He has, hasn't he?" Sue said with a dreamy smile on her face.

Just then, someone knocked on their door.

"I bet that's him, now. Go stand over there, so he gets the full view of the new you, as soon as I open the door.

"Hi, are you Phillip?" Sally asked.

"Yes, you must be Sue's roommate, Sally?" Phillip said with distracted politeness, as he had already caught sight of Sue.

'Oh man, she looks like a butterfly just out of its chrysalis, beautiful, but unsure of her wings.' Phillip thought as he walked past Sally and over to Sue and hugged her gently.

"Hey, Sue." Phillip said softly, just for her ears. "You look beautiful tonight and your outfit is very pretty too."

"Hi Phil, thank you." Sue said, still within his embrace. "You look great too." 'Go on Sue, say it.' She told herself. "Very handsome." She tip-toed a little so that she could kiss him, sweetly.

"Mmm, thank you for the kiss." Phil said, smiling down at Sue. "But if you do that again, we'll miss the concert!"

"Well then I will force myself to behave...for now." Sue blushed, prettily.

"Come on." Phil chuckled and placed the palm of his hand on the small of her back, to lead her out the door.

As they waited for the elevator and then rode it down to the ground floor, Sue took the chance to take a good look at Phil.

'He looks so sharp in those pleated, black slacks, charcoal gray, button-down shirt and black-leather jacket.' She sighed to herself, happily.

They walked to his SUV and Phillip opened the passenger door for her and helped her in, getting a close-up look at her long legs, in the process.

"I thought that we could go back to our favorite Chinese restaurant; would that be alright with you?" He asked.

"That would be great." Sue smiled and they were off.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were shown to a quiet, back booth. They decided to each have soap, an egg-roll and then to share an order of sesame chicken, hot and spicy.

"So, do you have any ideas about how we can handle Niko?" Sue asked.

"Let's not talk about such an unpleasant topic tonight, alright?" Sue nodded, happy to agree. "But there is something that I think we could set up to get him with, if he persists in this for at least three weeks, into October." Phil told her with a determined and evil-looking grin on his face.

"Ohh, will you tell me what it is?" Sue asked, excitedly.

"Absolutely, you'll be in on it, if he acts the way I think he will, but I want to wait for a little while and see what happens first, alright?" Phil asked.

"Well, alright." Sue said a little disappointed.

Their food came and they placed the sesame chicken in the middle, taking turns dipping into it with their chop-  
sticks. Sometimes, they fed themselves and other times they fed each other. They found more pleasant conversational topics, such as anecdotes about their childhoods and gossiping a little about their other friends and classmates.

"Hey, my birthday is next week and we're flying back to Airatan for the weekend." Philip said. "Would you...like to come with us? Dee and Amy are coming with me and you could see Libby again."

"Ohh, Phil, I'd love to, but I don't know if I should spend that kind of money on plane fare right now, when I undoubtedly will need to fly back to LA several times in the near future. Could I take you out to dinner before you leave, instead?"

"If it is just the money, you're worried about, don't. Our community has its own plane and Johann will fly out to pick us up Friday evening, after our last classes."

"Oh wow, your own plane? Well, in that case, I'd love to come, if it won't be of any trouble to your parents and you have a sofa for me to sleep on."

"No, I'm sure they won't mind and I think that we can even find you a room to stay in and your very own bed to sleep in!" Phil assured her. "If you're finished, I think that we'd better get going, so that we can arrive in good time at the Fleet Center." Phil said, looking at his watch.

"I'm stuffed, it was all so good." Sue said, as she got up from her seat.

Phil placed her shawl around her shoulders and they left the restaurant. It turned out that Phillip had been able to get great seats and they settled into them and waited for the concert to begin. Before sitting down, Sue had tied her triangular shawl around her waist like some bathing-suit cover-up. It just came down over the bottom edge of her dress hem, leaving many a male, sitting around her, to fantasize about moonlit beaches and bikini-clad girls.

During their dinner and while they walked into the stadium/concert center, most of Sue's attention was focused on Phil, but a small percentage of her consciousness noticed all of the women, who were making eyes at her handsome date. Phillip's attention was totally on her and she wondered if he was unaware of their stares, or whether he just did not care about them. She believed that it might be a little of both.

It gave her pause to think, when she realized that the man she was with, was the center of all this feminine attention and yet he was totally focused on her, only her. This gorgeous guy thought she was beautiful and she finally started to take his word for it. Her shoulders straightened up, her chin came up and her manner relaxed considerably; her smile became broader and a sparkle came into her eyes. Phil saw this change happening and grinned.

"Now I think I finally see the true Susan...Best. I think my beautiful date is truly sitting by my side now and it's a real pleasure to see her!"

"Thank you, Phil." Sue accepted his compliment without a blush.

And then the concert began; first the warm-up band, which was actually quite good and then Dido came onto the stage and the audience rose to its feet and stayed there throughout the entire performance. They rocked with her and they swayed to her softer songs, as well. Phillip took great pleasure in watching Sue dance beside him; her slim, supple body swaying with the beat, her arms up over her head, clapping with everyone else, around them. Sue especially loved the slower songs, when Phil pulled her close and swayed with her. She loved the feeling of his solid body underneath her hands, the spicy scent of his aftershave and the intensity of his gaze.

Finally though, the concert ended and the happy, hyped-up crowd poured out of the Fleet Center. Phil and Sue found his car and they drove back to Cambridge. They happily chatted about all the songs they had heard that night and what fun they had, had with the fans, seated around them. By the time they pulled up in front of Sue's dorm, they had mellowed out some and sleepiness was setting in.

"I had such a great time, tonight, Phil. Thank you so much for taking me!" Sue exclaimed.

"I did too, especially when I saw my beautiful date shed the last bits of her chrysalis and spread her wings to fly." Phil said, eyes sparkling.

"But not to fly away, just to hover nearby and then to land within your warm, safe arms." Sue assured him, as she moved closer to him and Phil's arms came up around her shoulders.

Sue let her hands glide over his chest, then up and over his shoulders and around his neck. Phil held back, letting his gaze bounce between her eyes and her lips...waiting... Sue realized that Phil wanted her to make this first move towards taking the next step in their relationship. This time, Sue moved in purposefully, towards Phillip's lips and kissed him. The first kiss was just a soft caress, the second had some weight behind it and the third kiss included the tip of her tongue, peeking out between her lips, to gently moisten Phillip's bottom lip and request entry into the dark secrets of his mouth.

Phillip let out a soft, deep moan and opened to her, willingly, happily. They kissed back and forth, taking turns and meeting in the middle, as well. Their hands would not stay still, either. They slowly glided their way over each other's arms, backs, threaded through soft, clean hair and outlined each other's faces as if they were both blind. Finally, they both had to come up for air and they broke apart a little, both gasping, but remained in each other's arms.

"You...had...better...go in, before I change my mind about being a gentleman." Phil warned her and Sue nodded.

"Or before I change my mind about being a lady." Sue said, looking deeply into his warm, loving eyes.

Sue felt his arms and hands tighten around her for a moment, at her words ut then they slowly, reluctantly released their hold on her.

"Good night, thanks again. You will call me if you hear anything from your parents, won't you?" Sue asked, as she opened up the car door.

"Yes of course, you do the same." Sue nodded. "I had a great time, Sue. You know, if we're going to fly home next weekend, we'll really have to get some heavy-duty studying done, beforehand. Why don't you come over to the house and we can study together?" Phil suggested.

"Great idea, I'll come around ten." Sue said, smiling and then she was out the door and heading towards her dorm.

Phil waited until she was safely inside and then drove home to dream of her and look forward to seeing her tomorrow.

Part 16

Early Saturday morning, at the television studio, Mason and Cheryl were waiting to tape another talk-show segment, to promote their latest movie, when Mason's cell-phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mr. Blair, we have a problem." Chuck, the studio's security chief said.

Mason had known Chuck for years and had asked for his help with this Niko business. Chuck had already checked out their house for bugs and gone over their security measures, earlier that week, but Mason had asked him to come back that morning, to double-check things, before Max and Liz were to arrive, later that day.

"Problem, what sort of problem?" Mason asked.

"You have yourself a listener." Chuck said, cryptically.

"A listener? I thought you told me that our house and phones weren't bugged." Mason said.

"They aren't bugged, he's using a long-range, listening device and even though he's only receiving and not sending, I can pick up the energy signal from the equipment he's using; it must be pretty powerful."

"Can you use that signal to triangulate his position?" Mason asked.

"My people are working on it, but the signal keeps moving. He's obviously in a car or van. We almost caught him, half an hour ago, but he shut down his equipment and moved before we could pin-point him." Chuck explained.

"Oh man!" Mason exclaimed. "Can he hear our phone conversation, now?"

"No, my cell-phone has a scrambler and I have set up a device, which can block him from listening, but I won't be able to stop him from seeing what's going on, at your house. If you really want to keep this meeting of yours, confidential, you might want to find another location." Chuck advised.

"That might be a good idea. I'll look into doing that, but could you set up the house, anyway?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Blair." Chuck said.

"Thanks, Chuck, I'll call you later." Mason said.

"Very good, sir." Chuck said and they both hung up.

Mason told Cheryl about what Chuck had just told him and they both tried to think of another place they could meet with Max and Liz. They came up with the same idea, at the same moment and smiled at each other.

'I hope she's home and in a mood for guests.' Mason punched a number into his cell-phone and waited for an answer. Cheryl entered a few numbers into her phone, as well and they created a party-line, between their two cell-  
phones.

"Hello?" Susan Nelson asked.

"Hey, Susan, it's Mason, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, of course not, you know I'm an early riser. What can I do for you? Is everything alright?" Susan asked.

"Uh well...no, I'm afraid everything isn't alright and we need your help. Cheryl and I need to ask a really big favor of you." Mason said.

"What do you need?" Susan asked, instantly.

"Cheryl and I need to meet with some people and it needs to be kept strictly confidential. Our security consultant says that someone has a listening device aimed at our house, so we can't meet there, as we had planned. Is there any way that we could use your house for this meeting?"

"Of course." Sue said, without hesitation.

"Don't agree so quickly, we still have a few more things to ask of you. Could our two friends please stay at your house, over the weekend, as well as possibly, Cheryl and I? And could you please pick up our friends at the airport, when they fly in today?"

"This sounds very serious and very important, of course I'll help you any way I can. Can you...tell me what's going on; who these friends of yours are?"

"Well, Cheryl and I, as well as our friends are kind of being blackmailed or stalked. We all received a letter from an old enemy of mine, earlier this week and...I think it would be best if I e-mailed you the letter. I scanned it into my computer, so let me mail it, you read it through and then I'll call you back. We're about to tape an interview, but I could call you back in about forty-five minutes, alright?"

"Sure Mason, I'll be waiting for your e-mail." Susan said, worriedly.

"Okay, bye for now and thanks Susan." They all hung up.

Mason brought out his palm-sized computer, accessed his home unit, through the palm's cellular modem and e-  
mailed Niko Giuliani's letter to Susan. Then both Mason and Cheryl buried their worries deep down, put on charming smiles and walked out onto the stage, to film their segment on the talk-show. When they were through, Mason and Cheryl both called Susan back.

"Hey, Susan, did you receive the letter?" Mason asked, after Susan answered her phone.

"Yes, boy this Giuliani-fellow has gone to some trouble to get some of this information. Adoption and police records are sealed and of course it is against the law to hack into a computer, to read them. Could you tell me what he has against you, Mason?" Susan asked and Mason told her about Niko's history with Suzie, as well as with him and Cheryl.

"Oh my poor God-daughter! I wish she had called me and told me what happened." Susan cried out when she thought about what Niko had done to her namesake. "Where is this scumbag? No one hurts my family and gets away with it. I'm going to hire a helicopter and drop a couple tons of medical textbooks on top of him; squash him flat!"

"Hmmm, as tempting as that sounds, Susan, I think we better save that for later. We haven't even been able to discuss this with Max and Liz yet. We haven't spoken to Niko, yet." Mason cautioned her.

"Well, I'll just keep the chopper warmed up and an old copy of 'Textbook of blunt-force trauma', handy. If I can't drop it on him, I'd just love to whack him upside the head with it, a few times!" Susan's temper had not cooled, as yet.

Both Mason and Cheryl could not help but chuckle at a usually quiet and gentle Susan, wanting to hit someone over the head with a medical textbook. They knew she worked in a hospital's medical library, but still...

"So, are you still willing to help us, Susan?" Mason asked.

"Well of course I'm still willing to help you, especially now that I know what's going on. When are Max and Liz Evans flying in?"

"Sometime today. For security reasons, they said that they would only call just before they got on the plane to fly out here. I'll call you as soon as they call me, then you'll have about ninety minutes to make it to the airport. Can you drive there in that time?" Mason asked.

"Yes, at the most, it only takes one hour to drive to the airport, from my house." Susan assured him. "So according to Giuliani's letter, Mr. and Mrs. Evans look exactly like you and Cheryl, do they? I shouldn't have any trouble recognizing them at the airport then...Wait a minute, they wouldn't happen to live in Airatan, New Mexico, would they?" Susan's memory kicked into gear.

"Susan, how could you possibly know where Max and Liz live?" Mason asked, astonished. Niko's letter never mentioned Airatan by name.

"Airatan, New Mexico has an extensive website, selling their beautifully unique artwork. I have been a valued customer of the Airatan Artistic Community for seven years now...and their website has a very nice picture of their town's mayor and his wife." Sue explained.

"I see, well those are our friends, yes." Mason said and Susan nodded.

"Back to our problem at hand." Susan said, thoughtfully. "Neurotic-Niko's assumptions and accusations are wild and crazy, but all the connections, linking the four of you, are very interesting. In fact, when I happened upon Airatan's website, seven years ago, I was intrigued by how much you and Cheryl look like Max and Liz, respectively, so I did a little digging and found all the legally obtainable information, which Niko has found. I became really excited, back then and allowed myself to think; what if all these coincidences added up to the possibility of aliens living in Airatan, New Mexico? I sat up all night, thinking about it, until logical thought reasserted itself, with the dawn and I dismissed everything I had found out, as coincidence and silliness.

"But now that I've read the additional, illegally obtained information, which Niko found, I'm becoming excited again! Wouldn't it be cool if Max Evans were really an alien, maybe even their king? Airatan's website has a virtual tour of their hydroponics farm, down in the old tunnels of the military complex, but what if they had used the tunnels to hide newly arriving Antarians? That town did pop up rather quickly and all the artists do have the same sort of style. Can you just imagine it; a community of artists, from another world, sharing their culture and heritage with us, peacefully?" Susan asked excitedly.

"Are you telling us that you believe all that stuff that Giuliani said; and you saw in our movie and TV series, Susan? You know that it was all make-believe; acting and special effects." Mason said.

"Well of course my head knows all of that was make-believe, Mason; but can't my heart believe that what is movie-  
magic today, could become reality, tomorrow? Can't my imagination soar out to the stars on a starship, named 'Enterprise'; or plunge to the bottom of the sea in a submarine, named 'SeaQuest'; or visit a little artist community, named Airatan and see the vestiges of a once great, alien civilization, making a home for its survivors, among the valleys and canyons of northern New Mexico? Can't either one of you see that; imagine any of that, even a little bit?" Sue asked her friends, sadly.

"Well maybe." Cheryl hedged. "Granted, so much of what was thought to be only science-fiction, thirty or forty years ago, is everyday fact now, but..."

"...but isn't that fact enough to get the two of you to open up your imaginations, to what could be? Can't you see with the wondering eyes of a child; all the mysterious and unexplained phenomena our world has to offer?" Sue asked, rushing on.

"Let me ask you this; you have friends who need your help, what do you plan to do, to help them, if Niko is just a fruitcake and is wrong about his assumptions? You already have ideas, don't you? Plans in progress?"

"Yeah, but..." Mason said.

"What you need to do now, is broaden your thinking. What do you plan to do if Niko's assumptions are correct; if your friends come here today, to tell you that they really are aliens, or at least Max is? How much time would you waste disbelieving them? Would you even be willing to listen to them?...Max and Liz Evans are good people, aren't they?" Susan asked, suddenly.

There was a pause, as Mason and Cheryl realized that Susan had just asked two very important, very basic questions. Are Liz and Max, good people? Will you even listen to them?

"Yes, Max and Liz are very good people." Mason answered, firmly, as he took Cheryl's hand and squeezed it.

"Yes, of course we will listen to them, no matter what they come to say." Cheryl answered, in an equally firm voice.

"And you'll keep an open mind to all of the wonderful things this world, this universe has to offer?" Susan asked.

"Yes, we'll keep open minds." Mason and Cheryl said, together.

"Great! Now hang up and stop wasting my time. If I'm going to have guests, possibly royal guests, I have a lot of preparations to make. Thank goodness I gave this house a thorough cleaning this week. Call me as soon as they call you." Susan reminded them and then hung up on them, without further ado.

"Yes, ma'am!" Mason said, into his silent cell-phone.

"Oh my gosh, she is awesome!" Cheryl exclaimed.

"And she finally cut through to the important point. No matter if Niko is right or wrong; no matter if Max and Liz are hiding...something...they are our friends; they are good people and we will help them; help ourselves and stop whatever Giuliani is up to." Mason said.

"Absolutely!" Cheryl agreed, as she moved in to hug and kiss this man, she admired and loved so much.

Mason's intense feelings for her were mirrored in his deep kiss and tight embrace, as well.

Part 11

Perhaps an hour before his parents were opening their mail, Phillip found himself driving by his favorite coffee-  
shop, The Grinding Stop. He pulled his SUV into a nearby parking place and went in. His parents had told he and his sisters about this little shop, run by Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt and he had been happy to see that it was still in business, three years ago, when he had first come to Cambridge. Now he was not only a regular patron but a second generation patron at that. Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt were still there, but they were now in their sixties and their nephew did the day-to-day business of running the shop, while Mr. Schmidt served and visited with their customers. Mrs. Schmidt still had command of the kitchen, baking her famous spice cake and other delicious offerings, but now she had help.

As he stepped inside the shop door, it was as if a button had been pushed and rain came bucketing down, outside.

"You arrived just at the right time, Mr. Evans." Mr. Schmidt greeted him. "You may have our very last table, tonight."

"That would be great." Phillip said, as his host led the way.

"Would you like your usual?" He asked, as Phillip took his seat.

"Yes please. Does Mrs. Schmidt have any of her spice cake left?"

"I believe she does. "I'll bring your piece with your coffee."

"Thanks, Mr. Schmidt." Phillip said as the older man moved off.

'Nice young man, just like his father.' Mr. Schmidt thought to himself. 'He never comes in here with anyone though...also like his father.'

A few minutes later, Mr. Schmidt served Phillip his 'latte, telling him that Mrs. Schmidt would bring his cake out to him soon.

Mr. Schmidt glanced out the front windows of the shop to see that the rain was still pouring down, very heavily. People were scurrying around under umbrellas, or wearing raincoats. Then he saw a young woman quickly cross the street towards them. She had no coat or umbrella and was soaking wet from her short, brown hair, down to her jean-  
clad legs and tennis-shoes. Apparently it was a cold rain, because she was shivering as she peered in through the window for a moment, before turning to walk on past. Mr. Schmidt went to the front door and beckoned to her.

"Miss, young lady, please come in out of the rain. You are soaked. Please come in and I can call you a cab to drive you home and you can have a nice, hot cup of tea to warm yourself up with, while you wait, on the house." He said.

"I didn't want to drip on your lovely wooden floors." Sue Best replied as she came to stand on the welcome-mat, just inside the door, her arms were wrapped around her middle in a vain attempt to warm herself.

"Don't worry about the floors, they are well waxed and have stood up to almost forty years of wet and slushy feet walking across them." Mr. Schmidt said with a kind smile. "I am sorry that all of our tables are taken, but I will have a cup of tea ready for you in just a moment and then I can call a cab for you."

"Thank you. That is very kind of you." Sue said.

"Miss Best may come and sit at my table." Phillip said, from behind Mr. Schmidt.

"Ah, Mr. Evans, you know this young lady, then?" Mr. Schmidt asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes we-." Phillip started to say.

"My goodness, Mr. Schmidt, don't keep this poor, little thing standing here, catching her death of cold. Brew her some tea, while I take her in back and help her dry off a little." Mrs. Schmidt ordered her husband.

She had seen the young lady come into the shop as she was serving Phillip Evans his cake and then she had noticed his immediate interest in her and had followed him up to the front of the shop and heard him invite her to share his table.

'Interesting.' She thought to herself.

"Come my dear, let's find you a towel." She said, putting a grandmotherly arm around Sue's slim shoulders and guiding her towards the back of the shop.

Sue looked over her shoulder, towards Phillip with a "what's happening?" look in her eyes. Phillip smiled encouragingly to her.

"Sue likes a little cream and one teaspoon of sugar in her tea, Mr. Schmidt." Phillip told the older man.

"Oh? And how would you know this?" Mr. Schmidt asked, curiously.

"We are partners on a class project and she is also friends with my sister. She has come to our house for dinner several times."

"Ah and what do you think of her?" Phillip looked around and then whispered.

"I think I'm in love with her...but...we haven't, really gone out together, yet."

"Ah, well this will be a nice beginning for the two of you." Mr. Schmidt said.

Ten minutes later, Sue came back to the table and Phillip's eyes grew large and he arose from his chair, as she approached. Sue was no longer wearing her oversized, long-sleeved, cotton shirt and baggy jeans. She was now wearing a maroon, turtleneck sweater and pleated slacks and her hair had been dried and brushed. Unlike her former outfit, which was oversized and hid her figure, her new clothes fit just perfectly and the soft materials showed off her slender curves, beautifully.

"You look lovely!" Phillip surprised himself and Sue by blurting out his thoughts. Sue didn't know what to say to his compliment, but she blushed at hearing it.

"Mrs. Schmidt insisted on giving me some of her cloths to wear, while she put mine in the dryer. She said that I could bring this outfit back to her in the next few days and trade them in for my jeans and shirt. Can you believe such kindness? What a sweet lady!" Sue said in wonder.

"Yes, the Schmidts are very nice people. My parents knew them when they were both attending Harvard, twenty five years ago. You look a lot more comfortable now. Come and drink your tea, or I'm sure Mr. Schmidt would brew you some coffee if you would prefer, my treat." Phillip said.

"Oh no, thank you. Tea sounds just perfect for today." Sue answered, as she took her mug and poured fragrant, hot tea out of the small ceramic teapot, which had been placed on the table, under a quilted tea-cozy, with cats prancing all over the material and added a little cream and sugar.

"Mmm, good and hot." Sue said, letting the warmth seep into her.

"It looks like Mrs. Schmidt is also going to insist that you try some of her famous spice cake." Phillip indicated the older lady who was walking towards them with a large slice of cake on a plate.

"Here you go, dear. Eat that up and you'll feel better in no time."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Schmidt, for being so kind." Sue said, shyly.

Mrs. Schmidt waved away Sue's thanks and walked back to her kitchen.

"Mmmm, this is good." Sue exclaimed, after she tried a bite.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad rhapsodized about Mrs. Schmidt's cake and Mr. Schmidt's hazelnut 'lattes." Phillip told her. They went on to chatting about their classes and their mutual friends and then Phillip changed the subject.

"So you liked seeing Mason and Cheryl's movie. Have you seen any of their other movies or the TV series they starred in, early in their careers; 'Among Us'?" Phillip asked.

"Well of course, I've seen everything they have done; after all, they are my...favorite actors." Sue saved herself from saying 'my parents' at the last second.

'Boy, I hate lying to Phillip this way. I know I could trust him and his family/friends with my true identity.' Sue thought, guiltily. Phillip continued.

"I know this has only a slight connection, but if you liked the show so much, did you also get to know the music by the artist who did the theme-song for 'Among Us'; Dido?" Phil asked.

"Are you kidding? She's one of my favorite artists!" Sue exclaimed. "That piece they use as the opening theme for 'Among Us' got me interested in her and it is still one of my favorites, it always gets my blood pumping, because I remember the exciting footage that went with it, for the show."

"Yeah, it's still one of my favorites, as well." Phillip said and then took a great big gulp of coffee, before asking. "Did you know that she is performing at the Fleet Center this Friday?"

"Oh really?" Sue asked, excitedly, but she couldn't bring herself to hint, or come right out and say that she would absolutely Love to go to a Dido concert...with him.

"Yeah and I can get tickets...if you would...like to go with me." Phillip asked.

"Me go with you to the concert? Really? I'd love to!" Sue exclaimed and then she back peddled a little, becoming shy again in a split-second. "Um...to go see Dido perform. And it would be very nice to go with you, as well. Thank you for asking me." Luckily, Phillip understood that Sue felt as though her first reaction had been way, way too eager and so she made her second reaction a much more controlled and courteous one. He smiled broadly at her, anyway.

"Great! The concert is at eight o'clock, perhaps I could pick you up at six and we could have dinner before the concert?" He suggested.

"That would be great!" Sue was blushing heavily now.

"You know, Sue, I'm realizing that I didn't explain my wanting to take you to the concert very well. Besides my thinking that you would enjoy it, I have wanted to get to know you better and I am hoping that we might...become more than...just friends." Phillip said gently, covering her small hands on the table, with one of his own.

"Really, you do?" Sue asked shyly, but with some new found hope and excitement shining through.

"Yes, really." Phil assured her with a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"I have wanted that as well." Sue almost whispered and managed to bring her gaze up to meet his. She was heartened to see that gentle encouragement and spark of...something else in his eyes, as their gazes met.

"So, which of Dido's songs is your favorite?" Phil tried to lighten the mood a little and they chatted on about their favorite singers and song-writers for a little while longer, until they realized what time it was and that they should be getting home. Phil paid the check and offered to drive her to her dorm. Sue nodded thankfully and they left, walking closely together, but not actually holding hands, or anything, as yet.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow in class and then I look forward to taking you out on Friday." Phil said, as he pulled up in front of Sue's building.

"Thank you for a very nice evening...and everything and I will see you tomorrow." Sue said, as she got out.

Shortly after Phil arrived at his house, his parents called out to him, Amy and Dee, over the Connection, asking them to link into their family's frequency.

A few minutes before; California and New Mexico time zones:

"Hello?" Mason Blair answered his private phone line.

"Hello, it's me, us." The voice of Max Evans came through the line.

"I take it that you received a certain envelope in the mail, today?" Both Mason and Max had instinctively gone into "spy-mode". They were not going to say anything, which could identify themselves, if someone was tapping the phone line.

"Yeah, we need to talk. Can the two of you fly out here this weekend?" Max asked.

"I'm afraid not. Contractual obligations have us too booked up this weekend, to leave town. We will have several hours free at different times, over the weekend. Could you fly here?" Mason asked.

"I'm a little worried about coming to you, security would be absolute here. Can you see that...nothing untoward happens this weekend, if we fly out?" Max asked.

"There is a person I can contact to help me with that...someone I trust." Mason assured Max.

"Alright then, we will make contact with you just before we leave. See you then." Max said.

"Bye." Mason said and they both hung up.

"What was that about?" Cheryl asked.

"I just had the funniest feeling that the phone might be tapped and Max had the same feeling, so we were just being careful."

"What if there is a "bug" in here, in the house?" Cheryl asked.

"I'm going to contact someone I know, tomorrow. Have him come out and check out the house and boost security, as well." Mason answered.

"Oh Mason, what about Suzie and Matt? Do you think that they could be in danger?" Cheryl asked.

"I'm sure they are fine, Sweetheart. If they had received anything in the mail, I'm sure they would have called us by now. We can call them tomorrow and give them a heads-up, though."

"I'll contact Johann and make arrangements to have him fly us to L.A. on Saturday." Liz said, as soon as Max hung up the phone. Liz had been listening in on the call, as it came through their speaker-phone.

"Good, then I think we need to contact our families and then the rest of the Community. Everyone needs to be on the alert." Max said.

"Let's call our parents and see if they can come over here or go to Michael and Maria's house, so that they can be brought into this conference call." Liz said.

Liz contacted Johann, through the Connection and then called their parents. After that, Max and Liz went to sit in the reading chairs, their hands reaching out for each other's, as they sat down and got comfortable. Their parents were going to listen in from the Guerin's.

"Our families are all over, so I don't know if we will reach them all at a good time or not, but let's give it a try and see who responds. The rest can pick up our message from the Connection, later." Max said.

"Calling all of our family members and best friends, please respond. We have something important, which we need to tell you, please respond." Max called out, using their family's frequency for the Connection. This frequency covered all of their children, as well as Michael, Maria, Isabel, Alex, Tess and Kyle.

"Max, what's up? All of our parents just came-a-knockin' at our back door and said that you had an announcement to make...and by the looks on their faces, it isn't a happy announcement." Michael said.

"I'm here too, Mom and Dad." Libby said from where she stood beside Marc, holding his hand.

"We'll explain when everyone who can respond has linked in, Michael. Thanks for helping our folks to link in on this." Michael and Maria nodded.

"Mom, Dad, are you two alright? You sounded urgent." Phillip, Dee and Amy linked in.

"Max, Liz?" Isabel, Alex, Tess and Kyle linked in at almost the same moment. All of their other children linked in as well.

"Kids, everyone, we are both fine, thank you. But something has come up, which you all need to know about. After we have told you, we will have to alert the Community, as well."

"Oh my gosh, Dad, what's going on?" Libby asked for everyone.

Max and Liz took turns bringing them all up to speed. They reminded, or told for the first time, about meeting Mason and Cheryl, in Roswell, just before their wedding, the photographs, which were mistakenly taken of them and their decision to not contact each other again. Then they told of the time, fourteen years ago, when the Evanses had hosted the Blairs and their children, for one night and how once again a photographer had followed Mason and Cheryl. They explained how they had kept in touch over the years, through secret e-mail and post-office-box addresses and private phone lines.

"Why didn't you ever talk about the Blairs, all this time?" Phillip asked.

"We figured it was best not to remind you of children you had met once, but could not meet again, but we would have explained it all to you if any of you had asked about them." Liz assured her children and smiled. "Why didn't you ever ask?"

"That day and night have a strange quality to them, in my memory. Years later, I sometimes wondered if it had all been a dream." Phillip answered.

"I was over at the Guerin's that night and never met them." Dee explained.

"Suzie was another friend who I only got to know for one day. Sometimes it hurt too much to remember and think about those kids, that I never got to play with again." Libby said, sadly.

"Libby, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. How did we miss seeing that?" Liz reached out to her daughter through the Connection and they hugged.

"It's alright, Mom and Dad. Mostly it was fun, meeting all those new kids and a lot of them returned to vacation here after that, or they moved here. I just wonder about those few kids, whom I never saw again; about what they are doing now."

"Well, all I can tell you about Matt and Suzie is that they are both attending college and doing very well." Max said.

"So, what do the Blairs have to do with this emergency?" Michael asked.

Max and Liz went on to explain about the letter, which they had just received and what it meant and about their plans to fly out to California, that weekend.

"We may eventually have to open Airatan up to a select group of reporters; give them a tour, but I wouldn't put it past this Niko Giuliani character to try and get in here on his own." Max said.

"I've heard of Niko Giuliani." Isabel said. "He has a very bad rep. Even in the modeling business. Word is that he tried to break into filming models about a year ago. He didn't last one month. He's back working for some rag-  
tabloid in L.A."

"What else can you tell us about him? Do you know what he looks like?" Max asked. Isabel concentrated a moment, before she projected the picture of Niko into the Connection.

"That has to be pretty close to what he looks like." Isabel said. "He gets around a lot because he always looks so clean-cut. He dresses nicely, is handsome and can be very charming if he wants to be. That's how he gets in. His true colors come out quickly though and then he gets kicked back out. I heard that the photos he had in his portfolio were someone else's work. This was learned afterwards. Apparently he is very good at finding someone who is very talented. He intimidates the men and seduces the women into doing his work for him. He has very little talent of his own. His father is a famous photographer; 'Sneaky-John' Giuliani." Isabel said.

"Yeah, we've heard of him." Liz said. "He was down in Roswell at the same time we met Mason and Cheryl."

"I think he's working on some huge movie project, abroad." Isabel mentioned. "Maybe that's why and how Niko is able to get away with...what he has gotten away with so far."

"He is not going to get away with this." Max said, determinedly. "We'll have to work out a plan to stop him, discredit him. If they haven't already, we'll ask Mason and Cheryl to contact John Giuliani and get him to come back and take control of his son."

"Thanks for linking in, everyone." Liz said. "Kids, you should be safe at college, but if anything strange happens, you are to contact us immediately and we will bring you back here or send out a security team to you. Of course if we find out anything that indicates that any of you are in trouble, we will contact you immediately, as well."

"Don't worry, Mom, we'll be fine. Once you have alerted the Community, we will all be on the look-out." Phillip assured his parents.

"Good." Max said.

"And on a more pleasant note, Phillip your birthday is next week, would you like us to fly out to Cambridge, or would you like to come home for the weekend?" Liz asked.

"I...the three of us, would like to come home for the weekend." Phillip said, indicating himself, Dee and Amy.

"Great, see you then!" Liz said and they all sent out thoughts of love to each other, before they broke the Connection.

Part 12

At nine o'clock the next morning, Sue received a call from her parents.

"Mom, Dad, it must be...five o'clock at your end. Is anything wrong?" Sue asked.

Well yes, there is something we need to tell you. Do you have a minute?" Cheryl asked.

"Yes, I don't have my first class until ten and even then, I'll skip it if necessary." Sue answered.

"No, this won't take that long, honey." Mason said. "It's just that...Niko Giuliani has crawled out from under his rock, again."

"Niko ! What does that creep want now?"

"Well, he's making some accusations about us and some friends of ours. They are groundless, of course, so you don't have to worry about us, but we just wanted you to be cautious and contact us immediately if anything strange happens, alright?"

"Yes, of course, Dad. Are you sure that you and Mom will be okay? Who are these friends of yours?" Sue asked.

"We'd rather not say over the phone for now, but don't worry, we'll work everything out. We just want you to be extra careful, alright?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm sure I'll be fine. Niko lost all interest in me once he was through using me to get to you. It was you who fired his sorry...butt, not me, so I want you two to be extra careful and don't worry about me. I take it you have already, or are about to call Matt?"

"Yes, we'll give him a warning, as well." Mason said.

"Alright then, I'll let you call him. I love you both." Sue said.

"We love you." Mason and Cheryl said, together before they hung up.

As Sue got ready for class, she could feel an anger start to build up inside herself. As she sat through her lectures, she found it harder and harder to concentrate. When se sat down next to Phil, in the lecture hall, she noticed that something was bothering him as well. Sue watched his jaw clench and unclench for a few minutes and then asked.

"Are you alright? You seem really, really tense." Phil made an effort to relax and gave Sue a grateful smile.

"I'm fine, really. There's just something going on back home, which has me worried. How are you today?" He asked.

"I'm fine, thanks." Sue smiled back, not wanting to bore Phillip with her troubles. But as the lecture started and then wore on, Phil couldn't help but notice that Sue was unusually restless and that her jaw was clenched tightly, as well.

"I hate to dispute a lady's word, but you don't look fine." Phil said, as they walked to their next class, together.

"Well, I may be a little worried...about something, but I'm sure everything will work out alright in the end." Sue smiled bravely at Phil.

'Oh man, why can't I just bring myself to tell Phil the truth about who I am and about what's going on? I know I can trust him.' Sue asked herself. Phil touched Sue's arm to stop their progress for a moment.

"You know that I am your friend, don't you?" Sue nodded. "You know that I am hoping to become...something more in your life, don't you?" Sue nodded again and blushed into his intense gaze. "Now let me tell you that if you ever need to or want to, you can tell me anything at all. I am a very good listener and I will always be there for you, alright?"

"Alright, thank you, Phil." Sue said as one, lone tear ran down her cheek.

Phil gently wiped the tear away with his thumb and then placed the palm of his hand on her back, to gently guide her towards their class.

'Oh man, I wanted to kiss that tear away, just now. I wanted to kiss her lips, her cheek. I wanted to take her hand, why couldn't I take her hand?' He asked himself. 'Because to be able to wipe away a tear and keep eye contact with her was enough progress for now. You have only 'known' her for two weeks and this is going to take some time.' He warned himself.

Phil had managed to lift Sue's spirits for a short time, but during their computer class, she felt her anger grow again, until she could barely type. She was angry at Niko Giuliani for being such a creep and she was angry at herself for not being able to do something to help her parents.

"Uh, I think that the poor computer yelled 'help!' five minutes ago. If we get any more error messages, it's going to blow up!" Phil said, in a calm voice as he gently took her hands off of the keyboard. Sue looked up at Phil, puzzled and then back to the computer screen. It was covered in gobbledy-gook-typing and at least three error-messages were overlapping each other, on top of her typing.

"I don't think that this is a safe or productive place for you to be right now. Come with me." Phil held out his hand towards her.

"Where are we going?" Sue asked.

"Someplace safe, where you can work off some of your anger." Phil answered, as he led her out to where he had parked his SUV.

Phil helped Sue into the passenger seat and then got in himself and took off.

"Hey we are headed towards your house." Sue realized.

"Yeah, there's something there that I think will help you." Was all Phil said.

He parked in front of the house and took Sue's hand to lead her inside. After they entered through the front door, Phil took her into the kitchen and then down the basement stairs. He switched some lights on and Sue was astonished to see a finished basement with exercise equipment set up and thick mats on the floor.

"Oh my gosh, no wonder you have such great muscles!" Sue said and then she slapped her hand over her mouth and turned beet-red. "I can't believe I just said that."

"And here I was hoping that you would think I came by them naturally!" Phil grinned at her. She smiled back.

"Did you think doing some bench-presses would help my mood?" Sue asked.

"Well, maybe later, if you'd like, but first, I think this big guy might be more help." He led her over to a giant-sized punching-bag. "I get the feeling that you would really, really like to beat someone's face in. Until you get the chance to do that, or find some other way to fix whatever's bothering you, I thought that punching or kicking this bag might help." Phil suggested.

"I've never punched anything or anyone in my life." Sue said.

"How about kicking? Have you ever kicked anyone before?" Phil asked, curiously.

"Well, once, when I was seven. I kicked Johnny Worsley in the shin, when he called me 'string-bean' and tried to take my lunch-box." Sue admitted.

"Atta girl!" Phil said, proudly. "Think about the spunk you had as a little girl and take a swing at Big-John, now." He indicated the punching-bag.

Sue rolled up the sleeves on her cotton shirt and put on some protective gloves, which Phil handed to her, while he walked around to the back of the bag, to hold it steady.

Sue threw a punch at the bag, but it didn't make much of a dent.

"Hmm." Phil said. "Where's the spunky little girl? Where's the anger I saw, that almost made our computer blow up?"

Sue thought for a moment, drew back her arm and then took a mighty swing at the bag. Unfortunately, she had been standing too far away from the bag, her hand never made contact and her momentum carried her so that she spun around in a circle. Phillip manfully kept the smile off of his lips and his laugh tucked safely down in his stomach, which shook a little from his suppressed amusement.

"Alright, that was my fault, I'm sorry. I didn't notice that you had stepped away from the bag." Phil said. "Step a little bit closer to the bag and imagine Johnny's smirking face, looking out at you from it.

Sue tried again and this time she connected solidly with the bag. Once one punch had been successfully thrown, she threw another using her left fist and Phil had to hold the bag steady as the punches landed. He watched Sue as it seemed that a damn of emotion had been breached and she let out several successive throws and a couple of kicks from the hip.

"I'm going to make you crawl back under the rock you came from and then I am going to smoosh you."

"You used me and then dumped me. I'll make you regret that!"

"All your scumbag friends were in on the big joke too."

Phil was getting the feeling that she wasn't punching Johnny; she was punching...someone else.

"You are not going to get away, this time!"

"Take that, you lying son-of-a..." Sue gave the bag one, last, mighty kick, which had Phillip staggering back a few steps.

"Hey, way to go!" Phillip exclaimed.

"Thanks that felt good." Sue said.

"Are you feeling a little less stressed-out?" Phil asked.

"Yeah. How about you? You were stressed-out in class, as well. Why don't you show me how a pro uses this thing?" Sue suggested, as she moved in to hold the bag steady.

"Yeah, it would feel good to pummel something for a few minutes." Phil agreed.

"I want you to hold this bag tightly, put all of your weight against it, but be ready to let go and jump aside if I hit the bag too hard, alright?"

"Sure." Sue said.

Sue quickly realized how strong (angry and frustrated) Phil was, because he could punch the bag with more force than she had been able to kick the bag, with the full force of her leg. He didn't say anything as he punched the large bag, only the speed with which he struck out, changed; from slow and powerful to impossibly fast.

"Boy, I'm glad you aren't kicking this thing. I can barely hold it still as it is." Sue said. Phil slowed down and then stopped, his breathing rapidly coming back to normal.

"Ahh, I feel better now." Phil said.

"Yeah I feel a lot better too. More in control and I want to thank you for that." Sue said. "Usually, my anger only leads to tears, because I have always felt so helpless with...this problem I'm having. But having you, Dee, Amy and the others as friends, has really helped me come back to life; recapture, as you said, the spunk and self-confidence I had as a little girl."

"I'm glad we could help, Sue. You have become very special to...us, as well."

"I know now that if I want to put a stop to this, I have to stop hiding and running away. Phil, there is something I have to tell you about myself and please, please, don't be mad at me when I tell you what it is."

"Don't worry, Sue. I won't be angry. I understand perfectly about hiding and keeping yourself safe. In fact, there is something I have wanted to tell you, as well. But you go first and don't worry, whatever you have to tell me, it will be alright." Phil pulled Sue over to a bench on which they could sit down.

"I'm really sorry Phil, I feel so bad about this, but I have been lying to you. I am not who I told you I was and my parents aren't some paper-pushers, who work for one of the networks. May name is Susan Blair and my parents are Mason Blair and..."

"...Cheryl Appleton." Phillip finished for her with a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry for keeping my identity secret from you. Back in high school, a guy and all of his buddies pretended to be my friends. He went out with me during our last semester of our senior year. He told me how much he loved me and laughed at all of my corny jokes. Then he took me to the Senior Prom and...and dumped me in front of everyone!" Instead of getting weepy, Sue was getting mad and her voice started to rise until she was almost shouting.

"The little creep had been double-timing me with the head-cheerleader, while he acted all gentlemanly and sweet towards me. When we arrived at the prom, it was as if I had become invisible. All of a sudden, my so-called friends would not speak to me, or even acknowledge my presence and my boyfriend had left me at the door and was dancing with his pom-pom girl. When I got angry and demanded to know why he wasn't dancing with me, it was as if he had taken off a mask; his true personality finally showed itself."

Flashback

"Why would I want to be seen with you for one second more, now that I have what I want? Weren't five, stinking months of looking at your ugly face and stringy hair, long enough? I only went out with you so that I could meet your father, the great Mason Blair and have him get me a job at the studio. He got jobs for a bunch of my buddies, too." His friends were all laughing at her.

"But I thought we were both going to attend Stanford together? What about all your plans for the future?" Sue asked.

"I've got plans, baby. Just not the ones I fed you. I'm going to become a famous photographer, even more famous than my old man. Then he'll have to show me some respect." Niko said.

"You have to earn respect, Niko." Sue told him.

"Yeah, yeah, yada, yada. You've got your answers, why don't you just beat it? Get out of here." Niko said.

"Yeah you were never one of us, get lost." The cheerleader, whom Susan had thought of as a friend, said.

Sue wanted to slap their smirking faces, but instead she raised her chin, did an about-face and marched herself off of the dance floor and went outside to use her cell-phone, to call her parents. She didn't cry until she was safely home and being held by her father's strong arms.

"I can't believe he tricked me like that. That I was so gullible." Sue cried.

"You think you are gullible, just look at me? I'm the one who should have seen his wolf's-hide under his sheep's -  
wool. Now, unless I can find a reason to fire him, we are stuck with him for six months. The slime-ball should have become an actor; this performance of his would have won him every award there is." Mason said.

End Flashback

"I made my Valedictorian speech at Commencement, the next week, with Niko's hecklings disturbing the ceremony. I had been accepted at several other universities, including Harvard, so I backed out of Stanford and came here instead. I couldn't trust anyone, anymore, especially guys; didn't even want one to touch me. I didn't want anyone to ever befriend me again if it was only because of who my parents are, so Mom and Dad helped me enroll here under the name; Susan Best...and I cut my hair short." This was when the first sign of tears showed up in Sue's eyes.

"It worked out well for being on the swim-team, but I had always loved my long hair." Sue stiffened her wobbling chin.

"Yeah, I remember your hair as being so long, thick and shiny...when we were seven and played together that day." Phillip finally stuck in, keeping his gaze steady on Sue's face.

"What?" Sue asked, shocked.

"Do you remember when you were seven years old; your parents brought you and your brother, Matt to an art fair? While there, they met up with some old friends of theirs; my parents. All four of you came to our house and you and your brother played with my sister, Libby and I. Then we all ate dinner together and you stayed the night." Phil said, still watching Sue for any sign of memory.

"Oh my gosh, it really wasn't a dream, was it?" Sue said, as she reached inside her shirt collar and pulled out the copper-V, which she had been wearing for seven years.

Part 13

"You still have it? You even made it into a pendant?" Phil asked Sue, as he saw her draw the copper-V out from inside her shirt collar.

"Yes, I still have it, although I lost it that night you made if for me out of seven pennies. It somehow dropped through a crack in the plastic lining of my backpack. I only found it again by accident, seven years ago. Up until that day, I had convinced myself that our whole magical visit to your valley had been a dream."

"I sometimes thought that, as well, over the years." Phillip agreed, smiling even more. "And to think I've known you all these years, but didn't really know you, recognize you, for who you really are." Sue said.

"Well same here. I didn't recognize you either, especially with your name change." Phil said. "And you certainly have grown up; from a pretty little girl, to a lovely young woman." Phil said and Sue blushed.

"You've grown up too. You're no longer that cute little boy, but a handsome man, now." Sue covered her red, heated cheeks with her hands and turned away.

"And you have always kept secret, what you saw that night." Phil made it a statement of fact, rather than a question. "I want to thank you for that."

"There is no need. What I saw that night was beautiful and magical. It wasn't something I would have shared with grown ups, even if you hadn't asked me not to tell anyone. They wouldn't have understood the wondrousness of what you could do!" Sue said.

"It's great to see my friend, Suzie again!" Phillip smiled more broadly and opened his arms a little and Sue launched herself into them, without any hesitation and hugged him back.

To Sue, it was as if Phillip had become a whole, new person. He was already a trusted friend, with the potential for becoming more and now, laid over that personality was another, of a little boy who had played with her one afternoon and then someone who had opened up a world of wonder and imagination to her young heart, that night. She felt totally safe and happy within his warm, strong embrace.

"Sue would it be alright if I tell my sister and our friends here, who you really are? You know that you can trust them to keep your identity secret, but it is your decision."

"Yes, of course it would be alright, especially Dee and Amy." Sue agreed.

"Good, come on. Everyone should be home by now." Phil took her hand as they walked up the stairs, from the basement and into the kitchen.

"Hey Dee, do you know if everyone is home, yet?" Phillip asked his sister.

"Yeah, Ed was the last to arrive, just a few minutes ago. Hi Sue." Dee greeted her friend.

"Hi Dee." Sue said, a little shyly, anxious about telling these people her secret.

"Dee, we need to tell everyone something. Could you ask everyone to gather in the living room, please?"

"Sure." Dee said and went to do as her brother had requested.

"Would you like something to drink, before we go into the living room?" Phil asked.

"Maybe some iced-tea, please?" Sue requested and Phil nodded, getting two glasses down from a cupboard.

"Sue, before we go in there, may I ask you if your parents have called you recently about a problem they are having? And is that why you have been so angry and upset?"

"How could you possible know about that?" Sue asked, shocked.

"Did they happen to tell you that their trouble involves some friends of theirs?" At Sue's nod, Phil continued. "Those friends are my parents, Sue."

"Oh my gosh!" Sue exclaimed.

"Mom and Dad...contacted us last night to tell us what is going on with this Niko Giuliani. The whole house is now on the alert, in case he comes after Dee or myself, or one of them. They will happily help keep you safe as well." Phil told her.

"Oh Phillip, I am so sorry that Niko has include your parents, your friends and family in all of this." Sue cried, placing her hand on his arm.

"Wait a minute, Sue, are you saying that you know this Niko character?...Sue is he...is he the one who hurt you in high school? I only understood parts of what you were saying, while you were using the punching-bag, but..."

"Yes I know him, or knew him in high school, anyway." Sue said, looking down at her feet.

"Sue, it will be alright." Phil said, as he gently lifted her chin with his forefinger. "Come on, let's go tell the others, okay?" Phil handed her, her glass of iced-tea, put his arm around her shoulders and ushered her into the living room.

They entered the living room and sat down in the seats, saved for them, in the middle of the sofa.

"Is everything alright? I thought I heard some yelling coming from the basement, earlier." Amy asked, concerned.

"I'm sorry, that was me." Sue confessed. "I had some steam, which really needed to be purged and Phillip thought that a few minutes with the punching-bag would help. It did!" Amy and everyone chuckled.

"But I am afraid that I do have something I need to tell you and you probably won't like it. You have all been so nice to me and I feel awful, because I...have...been lying to you."

"It's not really a lie and you had a good reason for what you did." Phil said.

"It was a lie, because I have been hiding behind a false identity. My name isn't really Susan Best, it is...Susan Blair." She said, looking guiltily into her lap.

"Oh man, your parents are the famous movie stars?" Ed asked.

"Yes."

"You did this so that reporters wouldn't be bothering you, right?" Audrey asked.

"Partly, yes."

"Well then that is totally understandable." Amy said.

"What's the over part?" Shaun asked.

"That's personal." Phillip replied, instantly, protectively, frowning at Shaun.

"It's okay, Phillip, thank you. I don't mind telling them the whole story, especially now that I know that they all may be involved by this." Sue said.

"Involved in what?" Shaun asked.

"Let me tell you..." Sue said, telling them about her relationship with Niko in high school, her parent's relationship with him afterwards and that she knew Niko was the reason behind their problems, but not specifically how or why.

After all of the girls had come over to hug her, comfortingly and all of the guys had made rude remarks about what they wanted to do to Niko, Phillip filled Sue in on exactly how Niko was including his family and his whole town, in on his accusations and threats. He came very close to telling Sue the whole truth about themselves, but stopped at the safe point, until he had, had a chance to speak to her in private.

"So that is what we know guys. We can work out a plan to keep Sue safe a little later, alright?" Phil asked and everyone nodded, as they got up to leave the room.

"Why don't we go up to my room? I figure you have a lot of questions to ask." Phil suggested.

"Oh yes, I do. I'd love to hear what you have been up to all these years, plus...something else." Sue said, hesitantly.

'I can just guess what that something else is.' Phil thought to himself, as he took Sue's hand in his and led the way upstairs, to his room.

Phil offered his desk chair, for Sue to sit in, while he sat on the foot of his bed, across from her.

"Why don't we get that 'something else' out of the way, first?" Phil suggested. "I can guess what it is." Sue thought a moment and then nodded.

"I once asked you if you were a witch or a fairy and you told me no. I believe you were telling me the truth, then, but if you aren't either of those things, what are you? How were you able to do all of those wondrous things, that night? I know you said that you could not tell me, then; that you would not betray your people, but...Phillip, I have kept your secret all of these years. Do you think you could tell me now, knowing that I would never betray you or your people?" Phillip nodded thoughtfully. He knew that this question would come and he already knew his answer.

"I know you won't betray us, but I wonder if you will believe me when I tell you...The truth is pretty unbelievable." Phillip said.

"Just tell me." Sue said.

"Okay, I have two questions for you. One; have you heard of the rumor about a UFO supposedly crashing outside of Roswell, New Mexico, back in the late 40s?"

"Sure, everyone has. My parents even starred in a movie and TV series about the aliens from that crash, living among us; you know that." Sue said.

"Yes, right, of course." Phil said and then he thought for a moment more.

"Two; have you ever thought about what it would be like, if that rumor, the movie, the TV series were...true?"

"What? You want to know what I would think...if aliens really were living among us?" Phil nodded, keeping his gaze steady, on Sue's face.

"Well...I might be a little worried, not knowing why they came to Earth, what their plans were. But if I took the scenario from 'Among Us'; that they came to find a new home and I knew that they just wanted to live here, peacefully...then I would be happy to let them live in peace and I would love to get to know them, learn about their world." Sue said.

Phillip didn't say anything. He was just wondering how he had been so lucky as to find such an open-minded person as Sue, to fall in love with. His gaze had unintentionally remained unbroken, on Sue's face and after a moment, she started to smile.

"Oh my goodness...you are...one of those aliens from the crash? But how can that be? The crash took place, what, eighty-four years ago?" Sue asked; a look of wonder in her eyes.

"Actually...it was my father...who was in the crash." Phil clarified.

"But then your father would be in his 60s or 70s and you are only in your 20s, aren't you?"

"Yes, Sue. I will turn twenty-one in just over a week, but my father and mother are both forty-nine. You see, my dad and aunts and uncle were placed in stasis chambers for the trip, because our planet was so far away and my people could not sustain life-support any other way. They were supposed to be brought out of stasis when they arrived here, but the ship crashed and their pods were damaged. Their protector managed to hide their pods before he was captured, but he was unable to repair them after he escaped. My father and his family finally emerged from their pods in 1989, but they came out separately, wandered away from their hiding place and were eventually picked up by the couples, who became their parents, my grandparents."

"How old were they, when they came out?" Sue asked. She was so intrigued by her questions and Phil's answers that she got up from her chair and came to sit next to Phil, on the bed.

"They were only ten years old. The other children, who traveled with them in their own, individual space-crafts, were sixteen or seventeen."

"What happened to them?" Sue asked.

"They crash-landed in Sweden. They all immediately came out of their pods and buried or destroyed them. Good thing too; World War Two was still being fought in Europe and even though they were in neutral Sweden, they were not safe. An old widow-woman took them in, thank goodness. Her name was Hedvig Petersen. The teenagers took her last name as their own." Phillip explained.

"Petersen...as in Eric Petersen, the author of the Antarian series? Oh my goodness, are you telling me that Eric Petersen, whose books were made into movies, in which my parents both played leading rolls...is an alien?" Phil could only nod before Sue continued.

"Are you telling me that his books are real? Was your world really named Antar? Was it really destroyed when its sun went nova?" Phil jumped in with a few answers, while Sue caught her breath.

"Yes, Eric Petersen is the son of one of the original ten children, who were sent to Earth in hopes of finding and making a home here. Yes, his books are true, Antarian history. He started writing them when he and his family feared that they were the only survivors, here on Earth. They had been unable to make contact with my parents, as yet and he wanted something of Antar to live on, even if humans only thought of them as science fiction."

Sue sat thinking for a moment, her expression becoming very sad as she remembered what the books had said about the end of the planet Antar.

"Only a few hundred children were able to escape, before the planet was destroyed, with everyone else, who couldn't escape, trapped on the planet...your true grandparents...?" Sue asked, as her right hand unconsciously came up to stroke Phillip's cheek, gently. Phillip could only nod.

"You lost your family, your world, your heritage in the blink of an eye. How do your parents...how do you cope with that?" Sue asked, her hand still stroking his cheek.

"We cope by keeping their memories alive; in our hearts and in our stories. We have lost our planet and most of our people, but our heritage is very much alive and well. We have excellent historical records and we have gathered together, from across the galaxy, to live in one, united community. There is a little bit of Antar here on Earth and it is growing and it is spreading our heritage and customs out to the world." Phil answered.

"And." Phillip continued, as he covered Sue's hand on his check, with his own. "We cope by meeting special people, like you and sharing our secret with them." Phil turned his face under her hand, until his lips were positioned under the palm of her hand and he kissed it, closing his eyes to savor the sensation all the better.

Sue made a small sound and her mouth hung open a little, while her eyes closed, as well, to enhance the sensations she was picking up on, from her tingling nerve endings.

"Your town, Airatan, is that little bit of Antar, here on Earth, isn't it? Did your people really come from other planets...out in space, to live here together on Earth?" Sue asked.

"Yes." Phillip nodded. He was holding Susan's hand in his, as they both rested on his leg, now. "Twenty-five years ago, my father, his family, including all of my grandparents and Eric and his family, worked together to buy the valley from the government. They had only just made contact with the other Antarians, who were living out in space. As soon as they learned that the ten children had survived here on Earth, there was a great desire; a yearning for all of us to live together, here.

"Wouldn't it have been easier for the ten children to move to one of those planets, out in space?" Sue asked, as her thumb started to stroke the back of Phillip's hand. Phillip hesitated, thinking for a moment, a process which was becoming difficult, under Susan's soft stroking.

"What did Eric's books tell you about the children who came to Earth?" He asked, instead.

"Um, there were ten of them; they were all in their teens; six of them were normal, everyday kids, but...four of them were...royal. The four were the children of the King and Queen of Antar and their High Counselors. Phillip, are you saying that your' Prince and Princess survived and were living here on Earth? Is that why all of the rest of your people immigrated here?" Phillip nodded.

"Has the Prince become your...king, now, or the Princess, your queen?"

"Yes, almost twenty-five years ago, Prince Zan was declared King, by all of our people. His sister, Princess Valondra did not want to take up her birthright, but she helps our king and queen whenever necessary." Phillip said. He couldn't tell why he was speaking in third-person, as if his king was a stranger to him, rather than his own father.

"Wait a minute; I thought you said your father was the mayor of your small town. Why would you need a mayor as well as...a...king? Oh my goodness...your father and mother are the king and queen, aren't they?" Phillip nodded, modestly.

"Zan was his true name, given to him by his birth-parents, but Max Evans was the name given to him by his adoptive parents?"

"Yes."

"So you are the new prince, the next king?" Sue asked.

"Yeah, probably, but that won't happen for a long time yet and even then, it's not that big a deal. We are all pretty casual in Airatan." Phillip said and then he chuckled, while holding Sue's head steady, by cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand and allowing his fingers to dip back into her soft hair.

"Now, the shoe is on the other foot; how, oh how will I ever be able to tell if you like me because of who I am, or because I am a prince?" He stuck his bottom lip out, in a playful pout, humor pouring out through his gorgeous eyes.

"That's easy; we knew each other before I ever knew you were a prince. And my attitude and reactions about you will never change, now that I do know." Sue said. "It's like..." But Phil interrupted her.

"But I'd like your attitude and reaction to change; become warmer, more intimate." Phil said. His statement gave Sue the courage to continue what she had been about to say.

"And I was about to tell you, before you interrupted that it's like that song says: 'It's in her kiss.'" Sue sang the few words before she did what she had wanted to do since she had finished with the punching-bag; she leaned in and gave Phil a sweet kiss on the lips.

She had meant to make it a quick kiss, but Phil reacted immediately; his left hand came up to join his right hand in cradling Sue's lovely face between them.

"You're right, it IS in her kiss!" Was all he said before his lips claimed hers again in a gentle, but intense caress of her lips and mouth.

Part 14

"You're right, it IS in her kiss!" Was all he said before his lips claimed hers again in a gentle, but intense caress of her lips and mouth.

Phil and Sue ended their intense kisses, but stayed in each other's embrace for a few moments longer.

"Oh, I have wanted to do that for the last two weeks, ever since I first really met you." Phil said, as he cradled her head with his hand and kept it resting against his broad shoulder.

'I've wanted to do that for the last three years.' Sue thought to herself.

"Me too." Was what she said out loud, though.

Just then, Dee yelled up the stairs that dinner was ready and they walked downstairs, hand in hand and into the kitchen to fill their plates, before going to sit in the dining room. This time, Phillip pulled out a chair for Sue to sit in. The seat was on his right hand side, a place for honored guests. Only Phillip noticed the glances being shared around the table and the smiles on each of his friend's faces, for what he had just done. It looked as though their prince had just chosen his princess. Dinner was a happy, noisy time, while Sue kept them laughing with tales about what funny things she had seen happen at her parent's parties or on their movie sets.

"So tell me about what you have been doing since we met, fourteen years ago." Phillip urged, as they walked back up to his room to talk, after dinner.

"Only if you tell me what you have been up to, as well." Sue specified and Phil nodded.

They got comfortable, kicking off their shoes and lying down on his bed, with about one foot between them and talked for hours. They found out that they had much in common; they had watched the same TV shows and movies as children; spent their summer days at the pool and had belonged to a girl/boy scout troop for a couple years, each. They had covered their favorite singers and songwriters, at the Grinding Stop, the night before, so after they had talked about their childhood, they started discussing books and movies...until they fell asleep, almost at the same instant.

Amy and Dee came laughing up the stairs, turned into the hallway, to climb the second flight, to their third-floor rooms and came face to face with Phillip's open bedroom door.

"Oh my gosh, they fell asleep together!" Amy exclaimed, but in a whisper, from the doorway.

"But as always, my dear brother was being the perfect gentleman; they are still wearing everything but their shoes and there is at least a foot of bed between them. He's enough to give the best match-maker an ulcer." Dee said in sisterly disgust.

"They are holding hands; that is really sweet." Amy whispered, encouragingly.

"I'm going to spread a blanket over them, close the door and see if anything else develops over night. Set your alarm for five and we'll meet back here, then."

Amy slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles, as Dee spread a blanket over her brother and her friend, then the girls tip-toed up to their rooms and burst into laughter, when they got there.

5 a.m. the next morning.

Amy and Dee came downstairs to the second floor and stood outside Phillip's closed door.

"I don't hear anything." Dee whispered, with her ear against the door.

"Open it, let's look inside!" Amy urged and Dee slowly turned the knob.

"Ohmygosh!" Amy mumbled behind Dee's hand over her mouth, which had come up to quiet her outburst.

Phillip's bed was placed up against the far wall, in his small room, so that the girls had a perfect view of the two occupants on the bed. Dee raised her camera to take a picture.

"Don't use a flash, you'll wake them up!" Amy whispered into her ear, urgently.

"But I want a picture of this!" Dee whispered back just as determined.

"I brought my digital camera, we should be able to lighten up the image on my computer and if that doesn't work, we can still use a little alien-film-developing-magic." Amy whispered.

"You go girl!" Dee motioned her into the room with a bow.

Amy took several pictures and then the girls tip-toed back out of the room, closed the door and ran back upstairs to Amy's room.

6:30 a.m.

Phillip woke up to the unfamiliar, yet pleasant feeling of having a beautiful, young woman snuggled up against him, in his arms. He opened his eyes to see that his other senses had not misled him. Sue was indeed asleep, with her head on his shoulder, her hand and arm resting on his chest and the rest of her slim body, plastered up against his side, as he lay on his back. He in turn, had one of his arms lying under her back and other hand resting in the curve of her waist.

'Oh man, this feels sooo...good! She is so nice and warm against me, her hair is soft against my face and it...she smells so good!' Phil groaned to himself.

He remembered how this predicament had come about. They had been catching up on each other's lives for hours, last night, when they both simply could not keep their eyes open and had fallen asleep.

'We must have gravitated towards each other, during the night.' He reasoned, as he looked his fill of Sue's sweet face, which lay just inches away from his own.

'Should I kiss Sleeping Beauty awake, or just enjoy watching her sleep?' He wondered. 'I'll just watch over her for a while.' He decided.

After a few minutes, however, he couldn't stop himself from gently brushing her hair back from her face or running his fingertips along her eyebrows, jaw line, or over her lips and she began to stir.

"Mmm, what a wonderful dream!" Sue mumbled to herself, while her eyes were still closed, she stretched like a feline, arching her back and legs and Phillip stifled a groan.

"I must still be dreaming. I can feel Phillip's warm, hard body next to mine." She whispered to herself.

"Wake up Sleeping Beauty." A soft, deep voice whispered in her ear.

Sue's eyes popped opened to the glorious view of Phillip Evans' handsome face leaning over him. As her vision cleared, uncertainty started to cloud her eyes again, her face became flushed with embarrassment and her body tensed up.

'This cannot be happening.' Sue thought, frantically, feeling her new-found happiness start to crumble. 'What did I do? What did we do, here on this bed? What is he going to think of me now?'

Phillip could read all of her questions in her panicked eyes and agitated movements.

"Sue, Suzie, everything is alright. There is nothing to be frightened of or embarrassed about. Remember last night? We were just talking and we must have fallen asleep. That is all that happened, I'm sure of it; we are still fully clothed and I would never, ever disrespect any girl that way, especially you."

"Are you sure? And you don't think I'm some kind of...some sort of..." Sue asked miserably, as she rolled away from Phillip and out of his arms.

"NO! Of course not. I've only known you for two weeks, but I know that you are a sweet, incredibly smart, innocent young woman. I know that you aren't the kind of girl who would...do...that." Sue stayed where she was, facing away from him with her knees drawn up part way.

"Suzie, come on, why don't we get up and you can wash your lovely face and then we can go downstairs and have some breakfast." Phil suggested.

"How can I face your sister, your friends?"

"By my side, with your chin up. Nothing happened and they will know that. Hey, someone came in and put this blanket over us last night. Probably Dee or Amy, so most likely they already know you spent the night here." Phil said calmly.

"Okay." Sue said after a brief pause and then she sat up.

Phil got off the bed on his side and came around to Sue and extended his hand out to her. Sue took it and got up from the bed. Hand in hand they walked out of Phil's room and across the hall to the bathroom. Sue went in, while Phil stood outside to assure her privacy, since this was the boy's floor.

"Oh shoot, they're already up!" Dee told Amy, as the two girls came down the hallway. "Hi Phil, where's Sue?" Dee asked.

"She's using the bathroom and please don't tease her. She was frightened and very embarrassed, finding herself in my bed this morning." The two girls immediately became serious.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, Phil. You two just looked so sweet and innocent, last night; sleeping on top of your bedspread, with your careful foot of space between the two of you...I couldn't bring myself to wake you both up, so that you could drive Sue home. I just covered you with an extra blanket and shut the door." At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Sue came out.

"Morning, Sue. You look well rested." Sue teased just a little bit and then became serious again.

"Don't you worry about anything, chica; everyone in the house knows that the two of you are a perfect gentleman and lady, respectively." Dee soothed.

"More's the pity." Amy mumbled and the two girls almost started giggling again.

"No one outside this house will ever know that you weren't sleeping over here, with us girls, upstairs. We are your friends and friends don't spread tales." Amy said.

"Thank you, I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression about me." Sue said.

"No chance of that. Come on, why don't we all have some breakfast and then Amy or I can drive you home." Dee said, linking her arm with Sue and guiding her downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Why don't you brush your hair, Phil, before gracing us with your presence at the breakfast table?" Amy suggested, before she followed her friends down the stairs.

Phil nodded, happy that Sue was in such good hands. A few minutes later, Phil walked down the stairs to hear girlish giggles coming from the kitchen, so he stopped to listen, before going in.

"Amy did you ever notice how handsome your pseudo-boyfriend is, first thing in the morning?" Sue asked, giggling.

"Well, these pictures we took of the two of you certainly show it." Amy said.

"May I take this one home with me?" Sue asked.

"Sure, where will you keep it?" Dee asked.

"Under my pillow!" Sue said.

"So you can kiss him good-night?" Amy asked.

"Maybe!" Sue said coyly and they all broke into laughter again.

"My goodness ladies, so much giggling! Did you swallow a bunch of feathers with your cereal? Are they at this moment tickling the insides of your stomachs?" Phil asked, casually, as he walked into the kitchen and over to the coffee-maker, as if he had not just heart what his lovely Sue had just said, or noticed the girls scrambling to hide the pictures from him.

"No, we were talking about men and so we could not help but start to laugh!" Dee replied.

"Oh, low blow, Sis." Phil said, laughing good naturedly.

As they ate their breakfast, Phil couldn't help remember how beautiful Sue had been, first thing that morning, when he had woken up to find her in his bed.

"I'll see you in class and then we are still going to attend that concert, Friday night, right?" Phil asked Sue, before she left the house with Dee.

"I'm just wondering whether I should fly home this weekend, to be with my parents." Sue mentioned with a worried look in her large, brown eyes. Phil nodded.

"Good point. I've been wondering the same thing myself. Why don't I pick you up tonight, after your swim-team practice? I can bring you back here and we can contact my parents and ask their advice, alright?"

Alright." Sue said smiling and reassured; she gave Phil a quick, sweet kiss before following Dee out the door.

Neither girl saw Phil turn to Amy, asking to see the pictures he knew that they had taken. After looking at them all, he chose one and ran upstairs to place it under his pillow.

"Hi Sue, great practice." Phil said, giving her a quick hello-kiss, when Sue came out of the locker-room, after swim-  
team practice, later that night.

"Thanks, yeah it went well." Sue said, as they walked beside each other, out to Phil's SUV.

"So, you think your parents will be home when you all them?" Sue asked, after she had settled into her seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"Yeah, well I have already made a preliminary call, asking them to be home tonight." Phil said and Sue nodded.

They chatted about their classes until they arrived at Phil's home. When they entered the house, Phil took her up to his room.

"So where is your phone, or do you use a vid-com?" Sue asked.

"Actually, when calling home, we use something else." Phil answered. "Sue, one of the urges we had, to live together as a people, came about when my mother and father were crowned. As a part of the coronation oaths, which they and all Antarians make to each other, a permanent, psychic connection was made, between us all. But don't worry, we all have complete privacy in our thoughts, we cannot really read minds or anything, but there is a connection, a psychic frequency through which we can communicate with one another; it binds us together as a people. It is the way we used to live on Antar, connected to our environment and to each other. That is also why we established these houses on college campuses, so that each house could have an orb and we students could all stay connected."

"An orb, what's that?" Sue asked.

Phil picked up the small, football-shaped object from his bookshelf, to show Sue.

"This is usually down in the living room, but I brought it up here, because I figured that you'd want to see if for yourself."

"So, this is your communicator? Can its signal reach all the way out into space?" Sue asked, turning the alien device over in her hands.

"Far, far out into space and more. Each orb holds our entire historical archive, including images of our artwork and recordings of our music."

"Wow! Is there any way for a human to...? Could I use it to learn about your planet and your people?" Sue asked.

"Sure, with one of us to connect you." Phil said and Sue smiled.

"But right now, how about we call my parents?" Phil asked and Sue nodded.

"Take my hand, close your eyes and try to blank out your mind." Phil instructed.

'Oh my gosh!' Sue exclaimed, as she suddenly found herself standing by Phil in a comfortable family room, decorated in earth-tones. There were several large, arched windows looking out, over two valleys. 'Do I remember correctly; is this your parent's home?' Sue asked Phil and he nodded.

'Hi, Mom and Dad. It's Phil...and I have someone special with me, as well.' Phil called out.

'Hello sweetheart.' Liz and Max came through a doorway and walked over to hug their son. 'Is this your special someone?' Liz asked, turning to Sue.

'Yes. Mom and Dad, this is Susan Blair.' Phil introduced her.

'Mr. and Mrs. Evans, oh my, I had totally forgotten how much you look like my parents...how much my parents look like you!'

'Little Suzie!' Liz exclaimed, as she hugged her, as well. 'But not little anymore, what a lovely young woman you have grown up to be!'

'Mrs. Evans, it is very nice to see you again, as well. Mr. Evans.' Sue turned to Max and shook his proffered hand.

'Susan, I'm sorry we had to meet again under these stressful circumstances.' Max patted her hand, comfortingly. 'May I ask you how the two of you met?'

'We've been taking classes together for years, but we only, really met two weeks ago, through Dee, who is taking architectural history with Sue.' Phil explained.

'But I complicated things, I am afraid.' Sue confessed. 'I have been attending Harvard under an assumed name, so Phil didn't know it was really me until last night. And I didn't remember his name at all, from when we were little, so it was just happy happenstance that we met and became...friends.'

'And of course she kept our secret all these years and with the two of us becoming more than just friends...' Phil said, as he gazed intently at Sue. 'I went ahead and told her everything about us. Incredibly, she still likes me and wants to help us!' Phil explained.

'Mom, Sue is the girl I told you about. She has told me that it was Niko, who emotionally hurt her, back in high school.' Phil told his mother, over their private frequency. Liz nodded and turned to Sue with compassionate eyes.

'Your parents have told you about what this Niko-character is doing?' She asked Sue.

'Yes and since I knew him back in high school, I was wondering if I should fly out to LA this weekend, to be there, when you meet with my parents.' Sue asked.

'I don't think that is necessary at this point, Sue.' Max said. 'Niko did not mention you, your brother or any of our children in his threats. You all may be included in our strategy meetings in the future, but this first meeting with Mason and Cheryl should be between just the four of us.' Liz nodded her agreement.

'Sue, we have been contemplating what to tell your parents...about us. We don't like lying to them, especially now, when so many of Giuliani's threats and assumptions are...true. They should be told the truth, but how do you think they will react?' Max asked. Sue grimaced.

'They will be very, very skeptical, Mr. Evans. Their careers have been all about making people believe...in make-  
believe. Everything that you can do because you are...aliens, they have seen done by special-effects. They believe heavily in reality, in what they can see, hear, touch, smell and taste. With as many sci-fi TV shows and movies as they have done, they do not believe in aliens, ghosts, vampires or dragons. Sorry.' Sue said.

'Oh man.' Max sighed.

'Maybe we should take things one step at a time; tell them the truth only if necessary.' Liz suggested.

'I don't know if that is such a good idea, either. They are very big on honesty, as well.' Sue told them.

'Then we will just have to find a way to make them believe.' Liz said.

'We may have to ask you to testify in our behalf, Sue. But for now, Liz and I will try talking to them, when we fly out on Saturday.' Max said.

'Alright, Dad, I just wanted to introduce Sue to you, let you know what's happening and offer to fly to LA with you.' Phil said.

'Thanks, Son. Let's see how things go. Something tells me we'll need the two of you before this is over. It was nice to see you again, all grown up, Sue.' Max said, giving her a fatherly kiss on the forehead.

'Take care.' Liz said, moving in to hug Sue and Phil again. 'You take care of this special young lady of yours.' She told her son.

'I will.' Phil promised.

'Good-bye, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. It was nice seeing you two again.' Sue said, before the connection ended and she found herself back in Phillips room.

"Ohhh boy, that was like a virtual reality telephone!' Sue exclaimed and Phil grinned as he drew her into her arms.

"They liked you." He told her, gazing intently into her eyes. Sue blushed.

"I hope so...I...like their son...very much." Sue admitted.

"I'm glad and as much as I would like to repeat our sleeping arrangements from last night, I think I had better get you home." Phil said, reluctantly. Sue nodded, also reluctantly, as they walked down the stairs and outside to Phil's car.

"I'll see you in class." Phil said, as they drove up and stopped in front of Sue's dorm.

"Good night, Phil." Sue said, as she moved in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Night, Sue." Phil said, as he turned his head so that her lips landed on his. "What's with the little peck on the cheek?" Phil asked; chuckling after their sweet kiss ended.

"I'm still a little unsure of myself and...us." Sue said, shyly.

"I don't want to frighten you, rush you, or make you nervous, but please remember that you are very special to me and it is my fervent hope that you will learn to feel comfortable with kissing me, as you already seem to be, when I kiss you, alright, Sweetheart?" Sue could only smile and nod...before she quickly leaned in to give him a quick, yet powerful kiss and then got out of the car, waving good-night as she went.

'And she thinks I'm going to be able to sleep now, after that?' Phil asked himself, as he drove back home to his lonely bed.

Part 15

Friday night came and Phillip would be arriving at Sue's dorm any minute.

Does this look alright" Sue asked her roommate, Sally.

"Alright, Sue that dress looks great! You look great! You've come alive all of a sudden. You are so lucky to have bagged Phillip Evans. I didn't even know he was available. If I didn't already have my boyfriend, Gary, I would be so jealous; Phil is one handsome hunk!"

"Oh thanks, make me even more nervous." Sue replied.

"No worries, roomy. That dress is perfect; it's sleeveless, tight, has a short skirt, nice scoop neck and maroon is your color. Then to keep you warm, that silky-looking shawl with its pretty pattern in maroon, rust and gold will look romantic around your shoulders and sexy, tied around your waste, at the concert. You never sit down at those things; you'll be dancing and clapping all night."

"Does my copper necklace look alright with the dress?" Sue asked.

"Hey, it brings out the rust and gold in your shawl." Sally said, nodding her head, approvingly. "I really like this new you. I have been worried about you, chica. Whatever this Phillip Evans is doing, he's brought you back to life."

"He has, hasn't he?" Sue said with a dreamy smile on her face.

Just then, someone knocked on their door.

"I bet that's him, now. Go stand over there, so he gets the full view of the new you, as soon as I open the door.

"Hi, are you Phillip?" Sally asked.

"Yes, you must be Sue's roommate, Sally?" Phillip said with distracted politeness, as he had already caught sight of Sue.

'Oh man, she looks like a butterfly just out of its chrysalis, beautiful, but unsure of her wings.' Phillip thought as he walked past Sally and over to Sue and hugged her gently.

"Hey, Sue." Phillip said softly, just for her ears. "You look beautiful tonight and your outfit is very pretty too."

"Hi Phil, thank you." Sue said, still within his embrace. "You look great too." 'Go on Sue, say it.' She told herself. "Very handsome." She tip-toed a little so that she could kiss him, sweetly.

"Mmm, thank you for the kiss." Phil said, smiling down at Sue. "But if you do that again, we'll miss the concert!"

"Well then I will force myself to behave...for now." Sue blushed, prettily.

"Come on." Phil chuckled and placed the palm of his hand on the small of her back, to lead her out the door.

As they waited for the elevator and then rode it down to the ground floor, Sue took the chance to take a good look at Phil.

'He looks so sharp in those pleated, black slacks, charcoal gray, button-down shirt and black-leather jacket.' She sighed to herself, happily.

They walked to his SUV and Phillip opened the passenger door for her and helped her in, getting a close-up look at her long legs, in the process.

"I thought that we could go back to our favorite Chinese restaurant; would that be alright with you?" He asked.

"That would be great." Sue smiled and they were off.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were shown to a quiet, back booth. They decided to each have soap, an egg-roll and then to share an order of sesame chicken, hot and spicy.

"So, do you have any ideas about how we can handle Niko?" Sue asked.

"Let's not talk about such an unpleasant topic tonight, alright?" Sue nodded, happy to agree. "But there is something that I think we could set up to get him with, if he persists in this for at least three weeks, into October." Phil told her with a determined and evil-looking grin on his face.

"Ohh, will you tell me what it is?" Sue asked, excitedly.

"Absolutely, you'll be in on it, if he acts the way I think he will, but I want to wait for a little while and see what happens first, alright?" Phil asked.

"Well, alright." Sue said a little disappointed.

Their food came and they placed the sesame chicken in the middle, taking turns dipping into it with their chop-  
sticks. Sometimes, they fed themselves and other times they fed each other. They found more pleasant conversational topics, such as anecdotes about their childhoods and gossiping a little about their other friends and classmates.

"Hey, my birthday is next week and we are flying back to Airatan for the weekend." Philip said. "Would you...like to come with us? Dee and Amy are coming with me and you could see Libby again."

"Ohh, Phil, I'd love to, but I don't know if I should spend that kind of money on plane fare right now, when I undoubtedly will need to fly back to LA several times in the near future. Could I take you out to dinner before you leave, instead?"

"If it is just the money, you're worried about, don't. Our community has its own plane and Johann will fly out to pick us up Friday evening, after our last classes."

"Oh wow, your own plane? Well, in that case, I'd love to come, if it won't be of any trouble to your parents and you have a sofa for me to sleep on."

"No, I'm sure they won't mind and I think that we can even find you a room to stay in and your very own bed to sleep in!" Phil assured her. "If you are finished, I think that we had better get going, so that we can arrive in good time at the Fleet Center." Phil said, looking at his watch.

"I'm stuffed, it was all so good." Sue said, as she got up from her seat.

Phil placed her shawl around her shoulders and they left the restaurant. It turned out that Phillip had been able to get great seats and they settled into them and waited for the concert to begin. Before sitting down, Sue had tied her triangular shawl around her waist like some bathing-suit cover-up. It just came down over the bottom edge of her dress hem, leaving many a male, sitting around her, to fantasize about moonlit beaches and bikini-clad girls.

During their dinner and while they walked into the stadium/concert center, most of Sue's attention was focused on Phil, but a small percentage of her consciousness noticed all of the women, who were making eyes at her handsome date. Phillip's attention was totally on her and she wondered if he was unaware of their stares, or whether he just didn't care about them. She believed that it might be a little of both.

It gave her pause to think, when she realized that the man she was with, was the center of all this feminine attention and yet he was totally focused on her, only her. This gorgeous guy thought she was beautiful and she finally started to take his word for it. Her shoulders straightened up, her chin came up and her manner relaxed considerably; her smile became broader and a sparkle came into her eyes. Phil saw this change happening and grinned.

"Now I think I finally see the true Susan...Best. I think my beautiful date is truly sitting by my side now and it is a real pleasure to see her!"

"Thank you, Phil." Sue accepted his compliment without a blush.

And then the concert began; first the warm-up band, which was actually quite good and then Dido came onto the stage and the audience rose to its feet and stayed there throughout the entire performance. They rocked with her and they swayed to her softer songs, as well. Phillip took great pleasure in watching Sue dance beside him; her slim, supple body swaying with the beat, her arms up over her head, clapping with everyone else, around them. Sue especially loved the slower songs, when Phil pulled her close and swayed with her. She loved the feeling of his solid body underneath her hands, the spicy scent of his aftershave and the intensity of his gaze.

Finally though, the concert ended and the happy, hyped-up crowd poured out of the Fleet Center. Phil and Sue found his car and they drove back to Cambridge. They happily chatted about all the songs they had heard that night and what fun they had, had with the fans, seated around them. By the time they pulled up in front of Sue's dorm, they had mellowed out some and sleepiness was setting in.

"I had such a great time, tonight, Phil. Thank you so much for taking me!" Sue exclaimed.

"I did too, especially when I saw my beautiful date shed the last bits of her chrysalis and spread her wings to fly." Phil said, eyes sparkling.

"But not to fly away, just to hover nearby and then to land within your warm, safe arms." Sue assured him, as she moved closer to him and Phil's arms came up around her shoulders.

Sue let her hands glide over his chest, then up and over his shoulders and around his neck. Phil held back, letting his gaze bounce between her eyes and her lips...waiting... Sue realized that Phil wanted her to make this first move towards taking the next step in their relationship. This time, Sue moved in purposefully, towards Phillip's lips and kissed him. The first kiss was just a soft caress, the second had some weight behind it and the third kiss included the tip of her tongue, peeking out between her lips, to gently moisten Phillip's bottom lip and request entry into the dark secrets of his mouth.

Phillip let out a soft, deep moan and opened to her, willingly, happily. They kissed back and forth, taking turns and meeting in the middle, as well. Their hands would not stay still, either. They slowly glided their way over each other's arms, backs, threaded through soft, clean hair and outlined each other's faces as if they were both blind. Finally, they both had to come up for air and they broke apart a little, both gasping, but remained in each other's arms.

"You...had...better...go in, before I change my mind about being a gentleman." Phil warned her and Sue nodded.

"Or before I change my mind about being a lady." Sue said, looking deeply into his warm, loving eyes.

Sue felt his arms and hands tighten around her for a moment, at her words and then they slowly, reluctantly released their hold on her.

"Good night, thanks again. You will call me if you hear anything from your parents, won't you?" Sue asked, as she opened up the car door.

"Yes of course, you do the same." Sue nodded. "I had a great time, Sue. You know, if we are going to fly home next weekend, we will really have to get some heavy-duty studying done, beforehand. Why don't you come over to the house and we can study together." Phil suggested.

"Great idea, I'll come around ten." Sue said, smiling and then she was out the door and heading towards her dorm.

Phil waited until she was safely inside and then drove home to dream of her and look forward to seeing her tomorrow.

**TBC**


	4. Parts 16 thru 20

**Was It A Dream? Parts 16-20**

Early Saturday morning, at the television studio, Mason and Cheryl were waiting to tape another talk-show segment, to promote their latest movie, when Mason's cell-phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mr. Blair, we have a problem." Chuck, the studio's security chief said.

Mason had known Chuck for years and had asked for his help with this Niko business. Chuck had already checked out their house for bugs and gone over their security measures, earlier that week, but Mason had asked him to come back that morning, to double-check things, before Max and Liz were to arrive, later that day.

"Problem, what sort of problem?" Mason asked.

"You have yourself a listener." Chuck said, cryptically.

"A listener? I thought you told me that our house and phones weren't bugged." Mason said.

"They aren't bugged, he's using a long-range, listening device and even though he's only receiving and not sending, I can pick up the energy signal from the equipment he is using; it must be pretty powerful."

"Can you use that signal to triangulate his position?" Mason asked.

"My people are working on it, but the signal keeps moving. He is obviously in a car or van. We almost caught him, half an hour ago, but he shut down his equipment and moved before we could pin-point him." Chuck explained.

"Oh man!" Mason exclaimed. "Can he hear our phone conversation, now?"

"No, my cell-phone has a scrambler and I've set up a device, which can block him from listening, but I won't be able to stop him from seeing what's going on, at your house. If you really want to keep this meeting of yours, confidential, you might want to find another location." Chuck advised.

"That might be a good idea. I'll look into doing that, but could you set up the house, anyway?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Blair." Chuck said.

"Thanks, Chuck, I'll call you later." Mason said.

"Very good, sir." Chuck said and they both hung up.

Mason told Cheryl about what Chuck had just told him and they both tried to think of another place they could meet with Max and Liz. They came up with the same idea, at the same moment and smiled at each other.

'I hope she's home and in a mood for guests.' Mason punched a number into his cell-phone and waited for an answer. Cheryl entered a few numbers into her phone, as well and they created a party-line, between their two cell-phones.

"Hello?" Susan Nelson asked.

"Hey, Susan, it's Mason, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, of course not, you know I'm an early riser. What can I do for you? Is everything alright?" Susan asked.

"Uh well…no, I'm afraid everything isn't alright and we need your help. Cheryl and I need to ask a really big favor of you." Mason said.

"What do you need?" Susan asked, instantly.

"Cheryl and I need to meet with some people and it needs to be kept strictly confidential. Our security consultant says that someone has a listening device aimed at our house, so we can't meet there, as we'd planned. Is there any way that we could use your house for this meeting?"

"Of course." Sue said, without hesitation.

"Don't agree so quickly, we still have a few more things to ask of you. Could our two friends please stay at your house, over the weekend, as well as possibly, Cheryl and I? And could you please pick up our friends at the airport, when they fly in today?"

"This sounds very serious and very important, of course I'll help you any way I can. Can you…tell me what's going on; who these friends of yours are?"

"Well, Cheryl and I, as well as our friends are kind of being blackmailed or stalked. We all received a letter from an old enemy of mine, earlier this week and…I think it would be best if I e-mailed you the letter. I scanned it into my computer, so let me mail it, you read it through and then I'll call you back. We're about to tape an interview, but I could call you back in about forty-five minutes, alright?"

"Sure Mason, I'll be waiting for your e-mail." Susan said, worriedly.

"Okay, bye for now and thanks Susan." They all hung up.

Mason brought out his palm-sized computer, accessed his home unit, through the palm's cellular modem and e-mailed Niko Giuliani's letter to Susan. Then both Mason and Cheryl buried their worries deep down, put on charming smiles and walked out onto the stage, to film their segment on the talk-show. When they were through, Mason and Cheryl both called Susan back.

"Hey, Susan, did you receive the letter?" Mason asked, after Susan answered her phone.

"Yes, boy this Giuliani-fellow has gone to some trouble to get some of this information. Adoption and police records are sealed and of course it is against the law to hack into a computer, to read them. Could you tell me what he has against you, Mason?" Susan asked and Mason told her about Niko's history with Suzie, as well as with him and Cheryl.

"Oh my poor God-daughter! I wish she had called me and told me what happened." Susan cried out when she thought about what Niko had done to her namesake. "Where is this scumbag? No one hurts my family and gets away with it. I'm going to hire a helicopter and drop a couple tons of medical textbooks on top of him; squash him flat!"

"Hmmm, as tempting as that sounds, Susan, I think we better save that for later. We haven't even been able to discuss this with Max and Liz yet. We haven't spoken to Niko, yet." Mason cautioned her.

"Well, I'll just keep the chopper warmed up and an old copy of 'Textbook of blunt-force trauma', handy. If I can't drop it on him, I'd just love to whack him upside the head with it, a few times!" Susan's temper had not cooled, as yet.

Both Mason and Cheryl couldn't help but chuckle at a usually quiet and gentle Susan, wanting to hit someone over the head with a medical textbook. They knew she worked in a hospital's medical library, but still…

"So, are you still willing to help us, Susan?" Mason asked.

"Well of course I'm still willing to help you, especially now that I know what's going on. When are Max and Liz Evans flying in?"

"Sometime today; for security reasons, they said that they would only call just before they got on the plane to fly out here. I'll call you as soon as they call me, then you'll have about ninety minutes to make it to the airport. Can you drive there in that time?" Mason asked.

"Yes, at the most, it only takes one hour to drive to the airport, from my house." Susan assured him. "So according to Giuliani's letter, Mr. and Mrs. Evans look exactly like you and Cheryl, do they? I shouldn't have any trouble recognizing them at the airport then…Wait a minute, they wouldn't happen to live in Airatan, New Mexico, would they?" Susan's memory kicked into gear.

"Susan, how could you possibly know where Max and Liz live?" Mason asked, astonished. Niko's letter never mentioned Airatan by name.

"Airatan, New Mexico has an extensive website, selling their beautifully unique artwork. I've been a valued customer of the Airatan Artistic Community for seven years now…and their website has a very nice picture of their town's mayor and his wife." Sue explained.

"I see, well those are our friends, yes." Mason said and Susan nodded.

"Back to our problem at hand." Susan said, thoughtfully. "Neurotic-Niko's assumptions and accusations are wild and crazy, but all the connections, linking the four of you, are very interesting. In fact, when I happened upon Airatan's website, seven years ago, I was intrigued by how much you and Cheryl look like Max and Liz, respectively, so I did a little digging and found all the legally obtainable information, which Niko has found. I became really excited, back then and allowed myself to think; what if all these coincidences added up to the possibility of aliens living in Airatan, New Mexico? I sat up all night, thinking about it, until logical thought reasserted itself, with the dawn and I dismissed everything I had found out, as coincidence and silliness.

"But now that I've read the additional, illegally obtained information, which Niko found, I'm becoming excited again! Wouldn't it be cool if Max Evans were really an alien, maybe even their king? Airatan's website has a virtual tour of their hydroponics farm, down in the old tunnels of the military complex, but what if they had used the tunnels to hide newly arriving Antarians? That town did pop up rather quickly and all the artists do have the same sort of style. Can you just imagine it; a community of artists, from another world, sharing their culture and heritage with us, peacefully?" Susan asked excitedly.  
"Are you telling us that you believe all that stuff that Giuliani said; and you saw in our movie and TV series, Susan? You know that it was all make-believe; acting and special effects." Mason said.

"Well of course my head knows all of that was make-believe, Mason; but can't my heart believe that what is movie-magic today, could become reality, tomorrow? Can't my imagination soar out to the stars on a starship, named 'Enterprise'; or plunge to the bottom of the sea in a submarine, named 'SeaQuest'; or visit a little artist community, named Airatan and see the vestiges of a once great, alien civilization, making a home for its survivors, among the valleys and canyons of northern New Mexico? Can't either one of you see that; imagine any of that, even a little bit?" Sue asked her friends, sadly.

"Well maybe." Cheryl hedged. "Granted, so much of what was thought to be only science-fiction, thirty or forty years ago, is everyday fact now, but…"

"…but isn't that fact enough to get the two of you to open up your imaginations, to what could be? Can't you see with the wondering eyes of a child; all the mysterious and unexplained phenomena our world has to offer?" Sue asked, rushing on.

"Let me ask you this; you have friends who need your help, what do you plan to do, to help them, if Niko is just a fruitcake and is wrong about his assumptions? You already have ideas, don't you? Plans in progress?"

"Yeah, but…" Mason said.

"What you need to do now, is broaden your thinking. What do you plan to do if Niko's assumptions are correct; if your friends come here today, to tell you that they really are aliens, or at least Max is? How much time would you waist disbelieving them? Would you even be willing to listen to them?...Max and Liz Evans are good people, aren't they?" Susan asked, suddenly.

There was a pause, as Mason and Cheryl realized that Susan had just asked two very important, very basic questions. Are Liz and Max, good people? Will you even listen to them?

"Yes, Max and Liz are very good people." Mason answered, firmly, as he took Cheryl's hand and squeezed it.

"Yes, of course we will listen to them, no matter what they come to say." Cheryl answered, in an equally firm voice.

"And you will keep an open mind to all of the wonderful things this world, this universe has to offer?" Susan asked.

"Yes, we'll keep open minds." Mason and Cheryl said, together.

"Great! Now hang up and stop wasting my time. If I'm going to have guests, possibly royal guests, I have a lot of preparations to make. Thank goodness I gave this house a thorough cleaning this week. Call me as soon as they call you." Susan reminded them and then hung up on them, without further ado.

"Yes, ma'am!" Mason said, into his silent cell-phone.

"Oh my gosh, she is awesome!" Cheryl exclaimed.

"And she finally cut through to the important point. No matter if Niko is right or wrong; no matter if Max and Liz are hiding…something…they are our friends; they are good people and we will help them; help ourselves and stop whatever Giuliani is up to." Mason said.

"Absolutely!" Cheryl agreed, as she moved in to hug and kiss this man, she admired and loved so much.

Mason's intense feelings for her were mirrored in his deep kiss and tight embrace, as well.

TBC

bWas It A Dream? Part 17/b

Saturday morning, Airatan, New Mexico.

"Let me take your luggage and stow it away for you." Johann said, as Max and Liz approached the Community's Lear-jet.

"Thanks, Johann." Max said. "Let me make a call and then we can take off." Johann gave a playful salute and then ran up the steps and into the plane. Max dialed Mason, on his cell-phone.

"Hello?" Mason said.

"We are just about to leave; ETA, ninety minutes." Max said.

"Alright, but we have a bit of a problem. We can't meet where we had originally planned to, so we are sending someone to pick you up. Do you remember the woman we told you about, fourteen years ago?"

"Yeah."

"She's the one who will be meeting you."

"Alright, see you soon." Max replied, before they both hung up.

"Has something happened, Max?" Liz asked.

"Susan Nelson will be picking us up and taking us to a new meeting spot." Max told her.

"I bet Giuliani has been hounding Mason and Cheryl's house." Liz guessed and Max nodded his agreement, as they climbed the steps up to the plane.

Something interesting happened, when the hatch was closed. Up on the side of the jet's tail, was a large V. As soon as the hatch closed on the Antarian king and queen, two interlocking, gold circlets appeared at the apex of the V, to signify that the royal couple was on board and that the jet had become Airatan's version of Airforce One. The circlets were discrete, but any Antarian would notice them and understand their meaning. Max and Liz settled onto an overstuffed sofa, which was pushed up against one bulkhead. They withdrew safety belts, which had been hidden in the cracks, in between the cushions and buckled them on.

"You two set?" Johann called through the open door to the cockpit.

"Yes." Max called back and they took off.

As they flew west, Max ran one scenario after another, through his mind. Liz's sleepless night had caught up with her and she was taking a short nap, with her head pillowed on Max's lap. Max stroked his fingers gently through Liz's still beautiful, long, brown hair, which only had a few strands of silver running through it, in an effort to calm his thoughts. As always, stroking her hair calmed him and he was able to relax for a short time. When he woke from his half-doze, a while later, he noticed that the plane was descending. His fingers were still threaded through Liz's soft strands and he bent over to gently kiss her lips.

"Wake up Sweetheart. We'll be landing soon." Liz groaned a little, in her sleep and wiggled around on the sofa, as she stretched. Her head rubbed against Max's hypersensitive lap.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha, enough of that! We don't want to shock Johann or Susan Nelson by being found, naked and rolling around on this sofa and that's exactly what is going to happen if you keep that up." Max told her, groaning with something between pleasure and pain.

"Party pooper." Liz pouted, as she sat up, but then leaned against Max's side, with her head on his shoulder. Max put his arm around her and snuggled her closer.

"Did your nap help at all, Love?" Max asked.

"Yes, a little." Liz said, smiling.

"Perhaps you could take another one, when we get to wherever Susan Nelson is taking us." Max suggested.

"I'll be fine, Max, really." Liz assured him.

The plane touched down and then taxied over to the part of the airport, which serviced small, private planes. Johann shut down his engines and then walked back into the passenger section. He opened the hatch and then went to get Max and Liz's luggage out of the storage compartment. Max and Liz exited the plane, down the small set of steps and Johann tossed their luggage down to Max, who caught it, without any trouble.

"So you're going to fly up the coast and check on the kids, attending Stanford?" Max verified with Johann.

"Yeah, I can check on them for you and stay in the house there, until you need me and then I can fly down here in no time, to pick you up." Johann assured them.

"Great, thanks a lot, Johann." Max and Liz said together.

When Max and Liz walked through the airport's arrival's gate, they saw one woman only, standing there, waiting. When she saw them, she smiled and came forward, hand extended.

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I'm Susan Nelson, a friend of Mason and Cheryl. Here, let me show you some identification."

"That's not really…" Max started to say, but Susan had already brought out her driver's license and hospital I.D. badge.

"Thank you so much for being willing to pick us up on such short notice, Miss Nelson." Liz said.

"Not a problem, glad I could help and please call me Susan."

"Alright, Susan, please call us Max and Liz." Max said

"Great, well my car is this way. Can I help you carry one of your suitcases?" Susan offered.

"I'm fine, thanks." Max said.

'Wow, a king who carries his own luggage!' Susan thought to herself.

They found her car, got in and drove to Susan's house. Susan kept a lookout, through her rear-view mirrors, for a tail, but did not see anyone following them on her circuitous route, so she headed home. As they drove, she explained what had happened at the Blair house and where she was taking them. When they arrived, Susan took them up to her guest-suite, which consisted of a small sitting room, bedroom and their own bath. Max and Liz unpacked a little, exclaiming at the loveliness of their accommodations and the thoughtfulness of their hostess. They had brought their orb with them and Liz took it out of Max's suitcase and placed it in her large tote-bag-like purse. They wanted to record the upcoming conversations, especially any decisions Max and Liz made, so that they could pass the information onto their people, afterwards. After doing so they walked back downstairs.

"You have a lovely home, Susan." Liz told her, looking around the living room and on into the dining room, through an archway.

"Thank you, it's just right for me." Susan said, happily. "Can I get you anything to drink; coffee, tea, water, soda? I'm sorry, but I don't drink, so I don't have any alcohol in the house; Mason's bringing some wine with him for dinner, tonight." Susan explained.

"Actually, Max and I don't drink either." Liz said. "Would you have any iced-tea?" She requested. "That would be great."

"I have iced-tea. Max?" Susan asked.

"Iced-tea sounds refreshing." He replied.

"I'll be right back, please make yourselves at home." Susan said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Max and Liz sat down and looked around the warm, cozy room, decorated in pastels, but with a few quirky pieces of jewel-colored glass, placed here and there, as well. Then they noticed the books displayed on the coffee table. They were all on Airatan's artist community or Olaus Petersen's architectural designs. Max picked one book up and leafed through it. He noticed that many pages were book marked or had notations written on them. These books had been read, enjoyed and referred to again and again.

"I hope you don't mind my putting all of those books out." Susan said as she came in, carrying a tray with three glasses and a pitcher of iced-tea on it. "I just wanted to show you and tell you how much I admire and enjoy the talent of the artisans you have living in your community, especially Mr. Petersen; architecture is a hobby of mine."

"Thank you, Susan. We are very proud of our talented citizens, as well." Liz smiled up at her, as Susan placed her tray down on the coffee table and began to pour them each a drink.

"I have one statue by Michael Guerin, out in my garden, but mostly I enjoy looking at them in books." Susan said.

"Michael will be pleased that one of his creations has found a good home." Max said.

Just then, they heard a car pull up, in the front of the house and looked out the front window to see Mason and Cheryl; both wearing baseball caps, sunglasses, jeans, t-shirts and windbreakers, get out of the car and walk up to the front door. Susan opened the door to them and they came in.

"Max, Liz, good to see you again." Mason said, as they came forward to greet each other with hugs and kisses, or slaps on the back.

"Susan, thank you so much for picking up Max and Liz for us." Cheryl said, as they both hugged their friend, also.

"Glad I could help. Why don't you two make yourselves comfortable while I get you something to drink; what can I offer you?" Susan asked.

"Well, this iced-tea looks good to me." Cheryl said.

"Me too." Mason said.

"Great, I'll bring out two more glasses and then go busy myself elsewhere so that the four of you can talk privately." Susan started to walk back into the kitchen.

"Wait, Susan." Mason requested and then looked at Max and Liz. "You both know what a good and trustworthy friend; Susan has been to us, over the years. Cheryl and I would like her to be a part of our discussions." Mason said.

Max and Liz looked at each other and then turned back to their three friends, nodding their agreement.

"That would be fine with us." Max replied.

"Mason, Cheryl, are you sure?" Susan asked, flattered but uncertain.

"We are very sure; we want one of our very best friends in on this." Mason replied, seriously and Cheryl smiled brightly at her good friend.

"Well, alright, whatever I can do to help." Susan said and went to quickly get two more glasses, before coming back to sit down with them.

"Alright, can we get started right away? Mason and I will have to leave, to go home tonight, because both of us have early curtain calls tomorrow morning." Cheryl requested and they all made themselves comfortable, ready for a long discussion.

Max and Liz glanced at each other and set the orb to record their conversation.

"First of all, of course we're going to have to come clean about how we met each other and what contact we've had, over the years." Mason said.

"Agreed." Max said.

"Next, Niko is going to want a complete tour of Airatan, especially the underground facility."

"He can tour any public building, including the underground complex, but we will not allow him into any private homes." Liz said, decidedly.

"He might say that you're hiding things in those homes." Mason warned.

"Too bad, unless he can produce proof of any wrong doing on our part, take it to the police; and the police or other law-enforcement agency shows up, with a court order, no one is invading the privacy of any of our citizens' homes." Liz insisted.

"Also, on these tours, we don't just want Giuliani. We want a small group, but no more than a dozen, reputable reporters from reputable news agencies. And no one is allowed to print Anything until all of the facts are in and this whole, stupid thing is over. If any one of them prints any speculations or innuendoes, we will call off all agreements of cooperation and sue everyone involved." Max-the-lawyer said sternly.

"Very well." Mason agreed, after a moment of serious thought.

"One of the first things Niko is no doubt going to insist upon, are blood tests. Are you two okay with that?" Cheryl asked, glancing quickly at Mason and Susan and then back to Max and Liz. She watched their reactions to the question, carefully. Max sighed, heavily, dropping his chin onto his chest in resigned reluctance.

'I was hoping that, that particular question wouldn't come up so quickly, but I should have guessed that it would.' Max said, silently to Liz, as he glanced at her for a moment. Their hands linked and gripped tightly.

'Everything will be alright, Max.' Liz encouraged her life-mate, silently and he nodded. He could feel the encouragement and backing of the entire Antarian community, as well.

'It almost looks as though they're having a silent conversation with one another.' Susan thought to herself.

"Well, as to our taking a blood test, we have a problem with that, but Liz and I are willing to explain what it is, if you three think you can handle what we are about to tell you; do you really want to know the truth?"

"Max, whatever you have to tell us, will go no further and we will all keep open minds." Mason assured, as he glanced over at Susan for a moment, before returning his attention to Max and Liz. "And we will do our best to help you, no matter what it is."

"Thank you Mason, Cheryl and Susan; that gives me hope that you will be able to accept what I need to tell you, as truth." Max said. "I'll come right to the point. The reason I'm reluctant to have my blood tested is because it will prove that Giuliani is correct about some of his accusations."

"Which of his accusations are true, Max?" Cheryl asked in a gentle voice.

"Many of them are correct, especially the one that says that…I am…an alien; that I'm not human and that many of the people who live in Airatan are also…not of this earth." Max looked around at the shocked faces of his three friends, before going on.

"I know that this must be a big shock for you, but I beg you; even if you don't believe me, please, please do not tell anyone else about this, especially Giuliani. There are hundreds of lives at stake if you do. All we wanted to do was build a home here and live in peace; we wish no harm to anyone." Max said, urgently.

"Are you kidding? Of course I believe you!" Susan exclaimed, as she jumped up and did a little happy-dance. "This is so cool! I just knew that you and your people were different, special; seven years ago, I knew!" Susan plopped back down in her seat, grinning.

"Well, I can't say right away that we believe you." Mason said, as he glanced first at Cheryl and then at Susan, before returning his attention to Max and Liz. "But we're willing to keep open minds and as we said earlier, none of this goes any further."

"Thank you all." Liz said with a little smile of hope on her lips.

"I'd like to speak to you later, Susan about how you knew about us, up to seven years ago, but I suspect that Mason and Cheryl have many, many questions to ask." Max said.

"Yes, we do." Mason and Cheryl said together.

TBC

Was It A Dream? Part 18

"I suspect that Mason and Cheryl have many, many questions to ask." Max said.

"Yes, we do." Mason and Cheryl said together.

"Actually, I have just one really big question, Max, which might help us understand and believe more easily. May I just jump in and ask it?" Cheryl spoke right up.

"Of course, Cheryl." Max said, smiling.

"Do you, do you have any, you know, powers; gifts?"

"Yes, actually I do." Max answered.

"Could you, would you show us or tell us about them, please?"

"Um, Sure." Max said and paused for a moment, deciding what to do.

After a moment, Max reached out and touched the iced-tea pitcher. The light brown liquid turned to a light pink and fresh ice cubes appeared to float on top.

"Cheryl, your glass is empty; may I pour you some pink lemonade?" Max offered.

Cheryl nodded, fascinated and then she took the glass from Max and took a sip.

"Mmm, this is delicious! Mason, Susan, try some." Cheryl passed her glass to her husband, who took a sip.

"It really is pink lemonade!" Mason said, startled after his taste of the drink.

"Let me try a sip, please." Susan asked and Mason passed the glass to her after taking another lengthy swallow.

"Mmm just the right sweetness, thank you Max." Susan said, happily.

"What I just did to the iced-tea is what we call changing molecular structure. We can heal, create an art object out of base materials and do many other things, using this power." Max explained.

"You know what might really help Mason and Cheryl understand where you're coming from, is if you were to connect with them and share some of your memories of Antar with them." Liz suggested.

"Connect with us?" Mason asked.

"We can make a mental connection with others. It allows us to communicate or share information; memories, all without saying a word." Max answered. "Since you are human, I would have to touch you; take your hands, to make the connection." Max waited for their decision.

"I think seeing some of your memories of Antar would be very helpful, Max." Cheryl said, reaching out her hand to him.

"I'd like to see your memories also." Mason said, reaching out his hand, as well.

"May I also? Is there a way for me to see your memories too?" Susan asked, hopefully.

"Of course, Susan." Max answered, smiling. "Liz, will you take Susan's hand, while I hold Mason and Cheryl's, please?" Liz nodded and smiled, reaching out her hand to Susan.

"Wait a minute, I thought Liz was human?" Mason asked.

"I am, Mason, but when Max and I…made love for the first time, we created a permanent connection between the two of us. I don't have any powers of my own, but I can communicate sub-vocally with another Antarian, or act as link between a human and an Antarian, as I will be today, between Max and Susan." Liz explained and the others nodded their understanding.

"Are you all ready to try this?" Max asked and they all nodded again. Max took Mason and Cheryl's hands, while Liz took Susan's hand in one of hers and touched Max's arm with the other.

"Just close your eyes; take slow, deep breaths and try to blank out your minds." Max instructed in a quiet voice and the three did so.

All of a sudden, Mason, Cheryl and Susan found themselves in a field, with lovely and yet strange looking flowers growing up all around them. An alien sky circled above and they could hear the musical twittering and chirpings of Antarian avians, up in the trees, nearby; for all three of them realized that they were seeing one of Max's early memories of his life on Antar.

A small, butterfly-like insect, fluttered by and they saw chubby, little-boy hands reach out to touch it, but the insect fluttered just out of reach. They watched for a moment, as the insect made its way over to a nearby flower and landed, before they heard his name being called. All three of them knew that they were not hearing English being spoken and yet they understood what was being said.

"Zan, how about a piggy-back-ride, home?" Max jumped up and down on his short, little legs, as he looked up and up, towards his daddy's smiling face. Next to his father, stood his mommy; holding his twin sister, Velondra, in her arms. They were smiling as well and both of them had crowns made out of flowers, on their heads. His father bent down and picked him up and then swung him up onto his strong shoulders.

Susan cried out in surprise, as her surroundings twirled and sifted, until she was seeing the world from the top of Wellmax's tall frame. Max's sister was now riding on her mother's shoulders, as they started walking across the meadow, towards home.

All three watching adults took the chance to collect themselves and Mason and Cheryl wondered at the likeness between King Wellmax and his son, Max Evans, as they had first seen Max, twenty five years ago.

'He truly did look just like his father, as a young adult.' Mason thought to himself.

They watched as the two adults, with the children on their shoulders, walked down a wooded path; as tree limbs and bush branches magically moved out of their way and then returned to their original positions, after they had passed by. Then up ahead they started to see a house, through the greenery. As they walked out of the woods, they all received their first full view of Max's childhood home.

The design was so much like that of the houses that Mason and Cheryl had seen in Airatan, and Susan had seen in her books; only larger and more grand. The beauty was in its flowing form and detailed decorations. They entered through a large door, with a crest, made of stained glass, set into it.

'Something seems familiar about that crest.' Mason thought to himself as he tried to remember where he had seen it before.

The scenes changed, as Max grew up. Mason almost thought he was back on the movie set, filming 'Among Us' again, except that everything around him was so much more real. Every detail was perfect, including the sounds and smells of this alien world. All three of them watched, as Zan, Velondra and their two best friends, Rath and Ava, played together and discovered their new gifts a little more each day. They watched Max and his family, as they walked through a town, during a fair; streamers and banners were flying, beautiful craft items were displayed and delicious foods were hot out of the oven. Even Mason, Cheryl and Susan could feel their mouths start to water.

Then suddenly, everything changed, as Max's world turned into chaos. Even with the love and protection of his family, they could all sense his confusion and fear, as he learned that his world was dying and that he would have to leave Antar and go to live on another planet. They watched, as King Wellmax and Queen Belisa; now wearing their long, white robes and golden circlets, made the announcement of Antar's doom, to their people. Mason watched in awe, as they held their people together and calmed them down with only their steady gazes, urgent voices, well-chosen words and the strength of their combined will. They saw the small probe-craft, which had all been modified to each hold one teenager; and the one proto-type space ship, which would hold the Royal Four; Zan, Velondra, Rath and Ava and their shape-shifting protector. They watched with tears in their eyes as parents said their last good-byes to their children; telling them how proud they were of them and that they loved them all so much. Then before any child could break down in tears, or a parent falter in his or her resolve, all of the children were placed into a deep sleep and gently laid into their stasis chambers and the chambers into each craft.

Susan mopped her streaming eyes, as they all watched each little ship lift off and head out into space. Then before they knew it, the small space ship was hurtling past the outer planets of Earth's solar system and on into Earth's orbit. They could tell that something went wrong when the little ship plummeted to the ground and crashed. Everything was black for a moment and then it was as if Max's eyes opened up and he was pushing through the soft membrane of his stasis chamber. He broke through and stumbled out into a stone chamber and over to a wall. Max placed his hand on the wall, a small panel with a V on it, lit up and the stone wall began to open up.

The next fifteen years flew by quickly; being found by the young couple, who would become his adoptive parents; being yelled at by a mean-looking woman, at a park; the loneliness and fear of growing up alone, knowing that you are different. Until one day, in college, when Max saw Liz get pushed out into the path of an oncoming car and he rushed out into the street, to save her.

Then time slowed down a little and Mason, Cheryl and Susan saw their friends' courtship; Liz figuring out that Max was just like her adopted sister, Tess; Max meeting the others like him, Michael, Tess and his sister, who was now named Isabel; their parents finding out about them and then going with them to find the pod chamber; the message from Wellmax and Belisa; making contact with the other Antarians, living in Sweden, including Eric and Olaus Petersen.

The three of them were starting to feel a little woozy, as they watched the last few scenes; the wedding of Max and Liz's four friends; making contact with the rest of the Antarians, living out in space; buying the valley; Max and Liz meeting Mason and Cheryl; a memory which made Susan laugh hysterically.

"The looks on your faces, while you were all enjoying your kisses, but then you realized that none of you were kissing who you thought you were…your expressions were priceless!" Susan managed to get control of herself. "Sorry, please continue."

"Just a little more to show you." Max promised.

Then they saw Max and Liz's wedding and coronations, including the surprise appearances of Wellmax and Belisa, which had Cheryl and Susan tearing up again; the building of Airatan; the arrival of their fellow Antarians; finishing up college; moving back to Airatan; having their children and the joy of raising them…up to today.

As the visions faded away and Max and Liz broke their connections with the other three, utter silence remained for several minutes, as Mason, Cheryl and Susan tried to take in all that they had just been shown.

"Ooooh maaaan!" Mason exclaimed.

"Oh my goodness!" Cheryl echoed her husband.

"That was incredible! Wow! Thanks so much for letting me see that too. I have a million questions, but…wow…where do I start?" Susan exclaimed, excitedly.

Her enthusiasm and excitement broke the chains of shock, wrapped around her two friends and everyone started to laugh. Mason and Cheryl both took in great lung-fulls of air and started to think a bit more clearly.

"To quote Susan, that was incredible!" Mason said finally, with a big grin on his face. "I guess our questions have been answered; there Is life out there on other planets and some of those life-forms are living here, among us." Mason said, reaching his hand out towards Max, who met him half-way, to shake hands and was pulled into a back-slapping hug instead.

"Some very special and wonderful life forms." Cheryl finished her husband's statement as she moved in to kiss Max on the cheek and then to gather a tearful Liz into a hug, as well.

"I'm sounding like a broken record, but that was incredible!" Mason said, as they all sat down again. "You've experienced so much, in your life; done so much. It's going to take a lifetime of friendship with you, for me to take it all in."

"Me too, Max." Cheryl agreed. "And Liz, you brought them all together. I look forward to learning about all the ways this special man of yours has changed your life."

"For the better." Liz finished Cheryl's statement, as she took Max's hand in hers and brought it up to her cheek to rub it against her face, lovingly.

'I love you, Max. I told you that it would be okay.' Liz said, sub-vocally.

'You did, Love, you did; thank you for always being right.' Max replied as he gazed into his soul-mate's shining eyes.

"Oh man, look at the time; it's almost two o'clock." Susan said. "We've been at this for hours, but even so, watching a lifetime of memories in just a few hours, makes me hungry. Why don't we grab something to eat?"

"That sounds great." Max said. "I'm sorry I got so carried away and showed you practically my whole life. I was only going to show you my memories from Antar, but…"

"But I think you sensed that we wanted to know so much more about you and your life, than just your first six years, Max." Cheryl said.

"Why don't we have lunch and then all take it easy for an hour or two; take a nap, or read a book? Then we could get back together this evening and discuss where to go from here, over dinner." Liz suggested.

Everyone agreed to this, so Susan went into her kitchen and brought out sandwich-makings, salad and fruit and they all helped themselves. They kept the conversation light, as they ate and then Max and Liz went up to their room; Mason and Cheryl went into Susan's room, which she insisted was theirs to use and Susan went into her library and fell asleep in her comfy chair, after reading a few pages from one of her favorite, old 'Among Us' fan-fiction stories, which she had printed off of the 'Net, years ago and kept in notebooks on her bookshelves.

"Oh man, I was so afraid that they would hate me, be afraid of me, after I told them the truth." Max said, as he drew Liz into his strong arms, as they lay on their bed, upstairs. Her head was tucked in, under his chin, as she rested against his chest and Max could feel the vibration of her speech, through his chin, as she spoke.

"I was worried too; it's always a risk, whenever we tell someone new about ourselves, but it always works out in the end. After all, how many of our young people in Airatan have fallen in love with humans from outside the Valley? Plenty and in the end everything works out, when they tell their loves the truth about who we are. Many of them had already noticed some of the same coincidences and links, which Susan and Giuliani have figured out about us and they never make a big deal about it."

Liz tightened her arms around Max's lean waist, as well and let her loving thoughts sooth him into sleep.

Mason and Cheryl were similarly snuggled together on their bed; Cheryl's head tucked in under Mason's chin and their arms around each other.

"It's incredible when you realize that Max and Liz are the king and queen of an alien race." Cheryl said. "We saw their coronation and a few other occasions when they were wearing their royal robes and their gold circlets; and yet they never act like royalty; never talk about all the extra responsibility, which must be placed on their shoulders." Mason nodded.

"That's what looked so familiar to me." Mason said, finally remembering. "Max and Liz have the royal crest, made of stained glass, inset into their front door, just like his parents did, back on Antar. I think I used their front door only once, when we stayed with them, that one time, fourteen years ago, but I thought that the crest was a beautiful work of art. Now I know what it represents."

"Mason, what should we tell the kids about all of this? Should we tell them about what, or who Max is?"

"We can ask Max and Liz about that, but I doubt there would ever be a need to tell either Matt or Suzie, the truth about Max. They don't even remember visiting Airatan, when they were little. Why would they need to know the details of this situation now? We'll take care of good-ole' Niko, for our Suzie and she won't have to ever think about him again."

"Alright." Cheryl murmured, before they both fell asleep.

A few hours later, after restful naps, the five friends joined each other back down in the living room.

"So I guess it's time for us to contact Niko." Cheryl said.

"Before we do, what are we going to do about those blood tests he's going to insist upon?" Mason asked.

"Actually, I already have a contingency plan set up for that…

Flashback

"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" Douglas Maisels asked, formally, after he was shown into Max's office.

"Yes, Doug, I did; please come in and close the door." Max greeted the young man. "Have a seat and please call me Max." At Doug's shocked expression, Max suggested. "Or Mr. Evans, if you would prefer. Even though I asked you here as your king, there is no need for such formality…this time."

Both men were remembering a time, seven years ago, when such formality was used in this very office. Max and Liz had, had to try Douglas Maisels in a court of Antarian and Alliance law, for the crime of mind-warping a fellow Antarian. Doug was half Antarian, half Speerk; a race which had the power to make others see and do things against their will.

"What did you want to speak to me about, Your…Mr. Evans?" Doug asked, after a moment.

"I need your help; every Antarian here on Earth needs your help, Doug." Max started by saying and Doug just swallowed nervously.

"I've kept an eye on you ever since that unfortunate incident, seven years ago, Doug and I must tell you that I am very pleased with the way you've conducted yourself ever since. You have used the potential that we saw in you back then, very well; I know your parents are very proud of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Evans." Doug said.

"You heard my announcement, over the Connection, about the reporter who is snooping into Mrs. Evans' and my pasts; the town's past, didn't you?" Max asked.

"Yes sir. Is there anything I can do to help you get this guy? I know that I really messed up, seven years ago and I'd really like a chance to help; to make up for…"

"You finished your sentence over six years ago, Doug. There isn't any more to make up for, but there is something you could do to help." Max said.

"What's that?" Doug asked.

"I'm fairly certain that Giuliani will insist on a blood test. I, of course cannot let him have a sample of my blood, so a switch will need to be made. But Giuliani will be watching too closely for us to just switch some test-tubes. What I'm proposing is that we bring in a human; Alex Whitman has already volunteered. He will be the one that the lab-tech takes the blood from, but no one must see Alex; they must see me having my blood drawn. I need you to mind-warp everyone watching.

"Now I realize the hypocrisy of my asking you to do this. After all, I found you guilty of using your mind-warping capabilities and sentenced you to community service, as your punishment, seven years ago…" Max said.

"But that was totally different, sir. I used my gift to make someone else steal money and then to give the money to me. You're asking me to use my gift to save all of our lives. Giuliani cannot be allowed to find out about us and my mind-warp won't hurt him, or anyone else. I totally see the difference and so will everyone else. Our gifts can be used to create or destroy; it's just a matter of how we use them."

"I was hoping that you'd see it that way, Doug. Thank you." Max put out his hand and Doug hesitantly shook it.

"Just let me know when you need me and I'll be ready." Doug said.

End Flashback

"That sounds like a great plan, Max." Mason said, afterwards.

"Can we either get Giuliani out to Airatan this week or next week?" Liz asked. "Next weekend is our son, Phillip's twenty-first birthday and I don't want that creep to ruin it. Hey would you three like to come? Your daughter, Suzie is coming with Phil and our daughter, Dee."

"I think we can make it." Mason said. "It was just this weekend which was going to be difficult to schedule, but we wanted to meet with you as soon as possible."

"I'd love to finally see Airatan, first hand!" Susan said. "If you're sure that I wouldn't be in the way, I'd love to come, thank you for inviting me."

"It'll be no trouble at all; you'll be very welcome in Airatan, Susan." Max told her.

"Okay then, let's call Giuliani and get it over with." Mason said…

TBC

Was It A Dream? Part 19

"May I be the one to call Giuliani, Mason?" Max asked. "We've never even met, so if this creep is going to threaten me, I think that we should at least speak over the phone, once."

"Good point, Max." Mason said. "I wonder how he'll react to you, if he thinks that you're an alien!"

"I'll have to remember to ask him." Max said, smiling devilishly, as he brought out his cell-phone. "Between my using this cell-phone and our having the orb here with us, he won't be able to trace this call and find out where we are; but all of you will be able to hear our conversation."

Max and Liz had brought out the orb and explained its purpose, earlier. Max dialed Niko's phone number.

"Hello." Niko answered his phone.

"Mr. Giuliani, this is Max Evans." The sound of a phone being dropped could be heard.

"Mr…Mr. Evans, I had thought that Mason Blair would be calling me."

"MR. Blair is here with me, Niko, but since you sent your letters to both of us, I thought I should be the one to call and introduce myself to you…since we've never met."

"Oh."

"So, what do you want to do now, Niko?" Max asked.

"I um, I want to, um, I want to meet with you both. I want you to explain how you two look exactly alike. I want you to explain to me where you were born, Mr. Evans and I want a tour of your weird little town and that secret underground facility of yours."

"First of all, Niko, neither Mr. Blair nor I know why we look so much alike; we don't have degrees in genetics. As far as we know there is no connection between our families."

"Then I demand blood tests." Niko interrupted.

"You will receive nothing by demanding it, young man." Max said in his best I-am-a-king-voice. "If you ask politely, we may decide to grant your request. Make no mistake, Mr. Giuliani, the only reason we are even speaking to you is so that we can put an end to this farce as quickly as possible, so that none of us ever has to see or hear from you again." Max paused for a moment to make sure that what he had just said, sunk into Niko's thick skull.

"Now back to what I was saying…secondly; I don't know where I was born, I was a foundling. That is a matter of record in my sealed adoption records. You do realize, don't you, Niko that breaking into sealed records is illegal? As to my being a foundling, there is unfortunately nothing extraordinary about that. It is a sad fact in this world we live, that children are abandoned by their parents all of the time. Thirdly, my town is beautiful, lovely and safe; it is not weird. Also, the underground facility has not been a secret since the military sold it to us. We give tours of our hydroponics and mushroom farms all the time and if you ask nicely, we will be happy to give you a tour, as well."

"When?" Niko asked.

"As soon as you agree to a few stipulations." Max told him.

"What stipulations?" Niko asked.

"One; we want you to gather six to ten reputable reporters, from reputable news agencies. They are to be included in the writing of this article of yours. If you can find anything worth writing about, it is not to be published in some tabloid newspaper. Two; nothing is to be published, hinted at or any speculation made, until all of the facts are in. If any of you break these rules you will be out of the deal and facing me in court. Do you accept these stipulations, Mr. Giuliani?" Max asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I accept them." Niko could feel his great idea sinking; he no longer felt in control of the situation.

"Very well; we will expect to see all of you in Airatan, at 9 a.m., Monday, September 16th. Not one minute earlier; not one minute later. Good night, Mr. Giuliani." Max said as he hung up.

"Oh man!" Niko whined, as he put down his hand-set, as well and sulked for a few minutes, before his misplaced optimism surfaced again.

'Max Evans wouldn't have come on so strong, especially during our very first conversation if he didn't have something to hide!' Niko thought to himself. 'Yeah, he's hiding something; something so big, he needs more time to move it or get rid of it. He's already had a week and now he has another one. Well, we'll see about that. I'm going out to Airatan, New Mexico tomorrow and I'll find a way to see what they're really up to.'

Niko picked up his phone again and made arrangements to fly out to Albuquerque and then rent a car. Then he gathered his equipment and a few clothes and threw them into a duffle bag, ready to go the next morning.

"Oh rats!" Max exclaimed, as he disconnected his cell-phone. "I forgot to ask him whether he was frightened of me, because he thinks I'm an alien!"

"I think how he dropped the phone when you introduced yourself, says it all!" Mason grinned.

"Man you were great, Max! I love how you put that creep in his place, just with the tone of your voice and a few choice words. You never even raised your voice, but I bet he was well subdued by the time you hung up on him!" Susan enthused.

"He was, yes, but his character-type won't stay down for long. I'm sure he's already making plans. I'll contact our security people and have them be on the look-out for Niko Giuliani."

"Good idea, Max." Mason said. "You know what I want to do, before Cheryl and I have to leave? I want to go next door and say Hi to John. But don't worry; neither Cheryl, nor I have mentioned any of this business to him. He's an old friend, but not quite as good or trustworthy a friend as our Susan has been to us all of these years." Mason smiled at his good friend, who was blushing at his praise.

"Susan, would this be a good time to ask you about how you put all the pieces together about us…seven years ago?" Max asked, curious.

"Sure, Max. Come back to the library and I'll show you." Susan offered.

"Liz, I need a little walk and some fresh air. Will you come outside with me and take a look at Susan's garden? It's not large, but it is lovely."

"Sure, Cheryl, I could use some fresh air, as well." Liz said and so the two look-a-likes linked arms and walked out the back door.

Mason walked over to John Kozlowski's house and knocked on his front door. A moment later, John answered the door.

"Mason, hey buddy, come on in." John opened the door wider. "Is Cheryl with you?"

"Yes, but she's back at Susan's. We were just having a short visit with her, but will have to be leaving soon and I didn't want to go without at least saying hello to you first, though."

"Hey great and you timed it just right. I have to fly out on business, early tomorrow morning. Will you tell Susan I'll be home next Friday, for me?"

"Sure, John." Mason agreed. "You know it's funny; I've been thinking about the two of you lately. You seem to be such good friends; you tell each other when you're going to be out of town; you've lived next to each other for almost thirty years and neither of you has ever married…I was just wondering why you've never…"

"Why I've never married Susan?" John finished for him. "Yeah we get that question a lot from our friends and family. The answer is that we've never felt like more than sister and brother to one another. We've discussed this over the years. Neither of us feels that something special; that certain spark, that you feel when you're in love with someone, you know?" Mason nodded his understanding.

"I've just never understood why neither of you even married someone else, instead then."

"Well, in my case, I've come close a couple of times, but it never worked out and now I'm just an old bachelor, stuck in my ways…But Susan…Susan's always been too shy to show any interest in a guy she finds attractive. She shuts down anytime she's near one and the guy thinks she's not interested."

"What are you talking about? Susan's not shy, she's always been confident around Cheryl and me." Mason argued.

"As I remember the story, you met Susan at her hospital; in her library, right?"

"Yes." Mason answered. "What does that have to do with…?"

"You met her professional personae; the confident mask she uses in her job; and she has the right to be confident at work, Susan really knows her stuff, but in her personal life, especially with men, she is very shy. I've seen it many times over the years, believe me." John said.

"I remember now. I felt the same thing when I met her, so many years ago. I thought I felt shyness underneath her professional veneer, but I never saw it again, after that, so I wasn't sure." Mason said.

"Yeah, that's our Susan. She's good at hiding it…until some guy smiles at her and then she closes down. She needs someone who's gentle and kind, but persistent; to get underneath that shell of hers."

"That's very insightful, John…for an old bachelor!" Mason grinned at his friend.

"The discs in my spine like to slip out every few years and I end up lying on my back for several weeks at a time. I watch all the talk-shows and the soaps and get in touch with my feminine side!" Both men chuckled, slapping each other's backs, before saying good-bye.

Back in Susan's house:

"I'm so hyped!" Susan told Max, after showing him around. "It's been so cool, meeting you and Liz; and I am honored that you trusted me with your secret. You understand now that I didn't really know the truth about you, as in having facts, seven years ago, but I thought it would be so great if my assumptions were correct; I hoped and wanted, almost needed to be right; and now I Know that I was!"

"It's Liz and I who have been honored by your friendship and by your keeping our secret all of these years, even though you didn't know that you were doing so. You came up with the same information as Niko did, but you stayed silent, unlike Niko, who would like to betray us to the world."

But let's not talk about him right now. This is an incredible, personal library you have in here, Susan. And the way your mind works is almost spooky! What knowledge you don't have filed away in that brain of yours already, you at least know where to find, in one of your books." Max exclaimed as he turned around and gazed at the four, book-lined walls. "But I sense that you haven't told me a major part of the story. Was it really your stumbling over our website that started the ball rolling, or was there something else?"

"Oh my gosh, Max; you know you're right? I had forgotten. My goddaughter, Suzie; Mason and Cheryl's daughter, had brought me a memento which she had found and wanted to have made into a pendant, so that she could wear it. She didn't remember where it had come from, but I felt that it had to have come from Airatan. It looked just like the symbol you have on the first page of your website. The memento was made of copper and was in the shape of a V. There were two wavy lines, rivers maybe, running down the center of each leg of the V and there were some shapes at the top of one of the legs, which must have been the tourist-area of your town; and then there were two other shapes; a triangle at the apex of the V and a small circle nearby, with the word 'promise' written in between them. I don't know why, but that pendant really intrigued me and made me want to look for more, especially since I had just found your website and saw what a lovely place your town is."

"As I said before, your mind is spooky!" Max grinned at her.

'I wonder if Phillip made that memento for Suzie.' Max thought to himself. 'Is that how he got her to keep our secret? I'll have to ask them when I see them next weekend.'

"Well, I hear Cheryl and Liz out in the living room. We had best go say good night to her and Mason if they need to leave soon." Max said, out loud. "Thank you for showing me this fabulous room."

"You're welcome, Max. Please feel free to read anything in here or watch any of my videos, while you and Liz are my guests here." Susan offered, as they walked out into the living room.

"You have to go?" Susan asked Mason and Cheryl.

"Yeah." Mason said, as he came over to hug Susan good night. "I think that we'll be able to come back sometime tomorrow afternoon; will that be alright?"

"Of course, come when you can." Susan said, as she hugged Cheryl goodnight, as well.

"Susan, would you mind if Liz and I retire for the night, as well? We'd like to contact our kids before it's too late on the east coast." Max asked, after Mason and Cheryl had left.

"Of course I don't mind. I'm more of an 'early to bed, early to rise' person myself. Sleep as long as you'd like or get up as early as you want. I'm singing with my church choir, tomorrow morning at 10:30. You're welcome to come with me or, if I don't see you before I leave, make yourselves at home and I'll be back no later than noon and we can have lunch then, alright?"

"That sounds great." Liz said, as she hugged her new friend good night.

"Good night, Susan. Thanks for everything you've done for us." Max said, as he hugged her too.

"Night you two." Susan said and they all went off to their own rooms.

As soon as Max and Liz reached the guest room, they opened their connection up to Phillip.

'Hey Phillip, how's it going? Did you listen to our discussions, over the Connection? What do you think?' Max asked.

'Dad, you invited the Blairs to come out to Airatan for my birthday, but you didn't even mention that their daughter, Suzie will be there as well. Why didn't you tell them…something?' Phillip launched in right away.

'Hello to you too, my darling son.' Liz reproved.

'Sorry, hi Mom, hi Dad.' Phillip said and Liz rolled her eyes.

'We didn't tell Mason and Cheryl anything about you two because we didn't think that it was our place to say anything, at least without our speaking to the two of you, first. Is Suzie there?" Liz asked.

'Yeah, I was about to take her home. We've been studying all night, trying to get ahead of things, since we won't get much studying done, over my birthday weekend.' Phillip explained as he brought Sue into the Connection.

'Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Evans.' Sue greeted them. 'Are you staying at Aunt Susan's?'

'Yes, there was a problem at your parent's house…nothing to worry about…but your parents didn't think it would be a very private place to meet.' Liz explained and Sue nodded, smiling.

'Anyway, back to Sue's parents; the two of you can do anything you want to; call and tell them that she's coming with you; you can wait and surprise them or you can ask us to tell them and we will, tomorrow.' Max said.

'As tempting as it is to let you tell them, I guess Sue and I should tell them, ourselves.' Phillip said, reluctantly. After all, they were not only going to have to tell Sue's parents that he, Phillip was dating their little girl, they were also going to have to remind her parents that Phillip is also an alien…who is dating their little girl.

'Good idea, son.' Max approved.

'Good luck!' Liz grinned at Phillip's discomfort.

'Thanks. Oh, by the way, Dad, I think your idea for the blood tests is a good one and I loved how you handled Niko. I have some ideas about how to shut him up, as well. Can I talk to you about them next weekend?' Phillip asked.

'Of course, we'll make time to talk.' Max promised his son.

'Great; good night you two.' Phillip said.

'Goodnight, Sue. 'night, Phil.' Max said.

'Goodnight you two; get some rest now.' Liz told them before they all disconnected their link.

In his room, in Cambridge, Phil gathered Sue into his arms.

"You know, I was going to take you home, but if I'm supposed to get a good night's sleep as my mother and queen ordered, I'll just have to keep you here in my arms." Phillip explained.

"That sounds like a very wise and loyal thing to do. After all, you must obey your queen…and I don't sleep well when I'm not in your arms, either." Sue said, as she wrapped her arms around Phil's neck.

The young couple had fallen asleep together, a couple more times, while studying together and they realized that they always slept more deeply and more peacefully, when they slept in each other's arms. They kicked off their shoes and Phil took off his belt, while Sue untucked her blouse from her waistband and then pulled Phil's shirt out from his jeans, as well. They liked to have their clothing a little bit loose, so that it didn't feel binding to them, as they slept.

"Ready, my lady?" Phil asked, as he pulled the sheet and blanket back on his bed. Sue blushed, but got into bed next to Phil. This was the first time that they had intentionally slept together.

"I'm betting that this isn't what your mother had in mind; when she said get some rest." Sue said, as she snuggled up to Phil and put her arms around him, as he wound his strong arms around her.

"Maybe not, but this is the only way I am going to get any rest, so I figure that we're following the spirit of her order, at least." Phil leaned in and kissed Sue deeply and thoroughly.

"Mmmm, goodnight, Phil." Sue said as she tucked her head in, under his chin and splayed her one hand, over the warm skin of his back, under his shirt.

"Goodnight, Sue." Phil said as he pulled her a little closer and stroked her back, between her shoulder blades, on the outside of her blouse. A few moments later, the light seemingly turned itself off and Sue and Phil were already asleep.

The next morning, both Sue and Phil slowly woke up at the same time. They were still snuggled close, but now Sue had her back pressed up against Phillip; spoon-fashion and Phil had his arms around her middle. Sue's arms lay over Phil's and their fingers had intertwined themselves, as the young lovers slept.

"Mmmm, what a wonderful sleep I had, last night." Sue murmured.

"Mmmme too; I don't suppose we could sleep this way every night." Phil said, realistically.

"No, I don't think we should. This sort of sleeping arrangement, as wonderful as it is, will only lead to something…dangerous happening and as much as I'm looking forward to someday being…dangerous…with you, I'm just not quite ready to be…"

"…dangerous with me. I know Sue. I want to be…dangerous…with you too, but we only just met three weeks ago and there are so many other things I want to learn about you first, before we learn how…dangerous…we can be…together."

"I'm glad you understand, Phil." Sue said, as she turned her head back and tilted it up so that she could kiss him good morning…and thank you…and I'm-falling-in-love-with-you.

Suddenly they heard a wolf-whistle, coming from the doorway.

"Such activity going on in here and on a Sunday morning, no less." Dee said, as she and Amy stood there, grinning.

"Get out of here you two pests!" Phil yelled as he threw a pillow at them. The pillow would have hit them smack in their faces if they had not ducked out of the way, giggling.

We might as well get up, I guess." Sue said, reluctantly. "They'll only come back if we don't."

"Yeah, you're right." Phil agreed as he sat up, but kept his arms around Sue. "What time do you want to try calling your parents?"

"I don't know. Their schedules are so mixed up, right now. I might as well call their voice-mail and leave a message, asking them to call me back. It'll be easier for them to get a hold of me, than it'll be for me to get a hold of them."

"But then we'd have to spend the whole day together, so that I'm with you when they call." Phillip pretended to complain, but his sparkling eyes gave him away.

"Oh you! Will you take me home, so that I can shower and change and then we can come back here and watch videos or do something fun with the others." Sue suggested.

"Sure, why don't you go downstairs and have a cup of coffee and call your parents, while I take a quick shower and then I'll drive you home. I can pick up some donuts to bring back here for breakfast, while you get changed." Phil said.

"Oooh that sounds good!" Sue agreed.

They did as they had planned, returning to the house a short time later, with boxes of donuts and trays of 'lattes. Then they decided that they really should attend church services, so they left with the rest of their friends; to go and give thanks and to ask for His help, in the days and weeks to come. The rest of the day was spent playing a no-holds-barred game of Monopoly with the whole gang…until Sue's cell-phone rang, that is. Then, Sue and Phil walked up to his room, for privacy, as she answered the call. Her caller I.D. had told her that it was her mom and dad.

"Hi, Mom and Dad." Sue greeted them.

"Hi, Suzie, what's up?" Cheryl asked.

"Hmmm, um, how do I say this? Mom and Dad, I'm standing here with Phillip Evans; Max and Liz Evans' son." There was a pause on the other end.

"You've met Max and Liz's son, at Harvard?" Mason asked.

"Yes, we've been taking classes together, all these years, but I only just meet him through his sister, Dee, who's also attending Harvard…and all of us have become really good friends." Sue answered, glancing up at Phil, who had his head close to hers, so that he could hear both sides of the conversation.

"How good a friend?" Mason asked.

"Very good friends, Mom and Dad. Phil and I are dating and I know all about him and his family. Do you understand what I'm saying? I know All About them." Sue said.

"Sue, may I speak to Phillip, please?" Cheryl asked.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Blair." Phillip said.

"Hello, Phillip. Do I understand that you told our daughter about your, your…heritage?"

"Yes, ma'am. Actually, she's known something about us ever since she was seven years old."

"She remembers the time we visited your parents, when she was seven?" Cheryl asked.

"Yes, Mom, I remember; although I wasn't sure if my memories were real of just dreams, when I was little. I saw Phillip do something wonderful that night, but I didn't know how he was able to do what he did, until just the other day."

"What did you see, Sue?" Mason asked.

"I don't want to say over the phone, Dad. We really called to tell you that Phillip and Dee, Phil's sister, have invited me to come home with them, next weekend, for his birthday and I've accepted. We can talk all about everything, then." Sue said.

"You're that close to him; that he is bringing you home with him?" Mason asked.

"Da-a-d!" Sue cried, embarrassed that Phil could hear all of this. "I was invited as a good friend of both Dee and Phillip. We're getting close, but we're Not That close!" 'But oh how I wish he would ask me to marry him and take me home to meet his parents, as his fiancé!' Sue sighed to herself. "Don't worry, Phillip is a very nice young man; kind, sweet and honorable…and gentlemanly." 'More's the pity!' She thought to herself, again.

"He'd better be and knowing his parents…he probably is." Mason admitted. "Would you put him on? I want to tell him something."

"He's right here, Daddy." Sue said, handing the phone to Phil.

"Yes, Mr. Blair?"

"I want you to keep my daughter safe, during this situation with Giuliani. But if you hurt one hair on her head, I'll do worse to you, than I plan to do to Niko, do I make myself clear, young man?"

"Perfectly, sir. Don't worry, I'll keep her safe with every resource, or…skill I have at my disposal. Do you understand Me, sir?"

"Yes, I understand." Mason said.

"Thank you, sir. I look forward to meeting you and Mrs. Blair in less than a week." Phil said, before handing the phone back to Sue.

"Daddy?" Sue asked, uncertainly.

"He sounds like a good man. I look forward to meeting him." Mason said.

"Me, as well." Cheryl added. "We love you, Sweetheart and we just want you to be safe and happy."

"I love you both, too." Sue said.

We'll see you next weekend, then." Mason said, before they all hung up.

Phil blew out a breath and gathered Sue into his arms. Everything would be alright.

Mason and Cheryl hung up their cell-phones, after speaking to Sue…and Phillip Evans. They had made the call while they and Max, Liz and Susan were all taking a break from their continued discussions, that Sunday afternoon. They walked out to the living room and found Max and Liz, snuggled together on the sofa, talking quietly.

"Um, we just spoke to our daughter, Sue and it seems that she is dating your son, Phillip…and she will be traveling to Airatan, for his birthday, next weekend." Mason said in almost an accusatory voice.

"Yes, both our son and daughter, Dee have become good friends with Sue, this semester and they both wanted her to come home with them; although they didn't know exactly who's daughter she was, until the other day." Liz explained.

"I hope you don't have a problem with our children dating each other, Mason, Cheryl." Max said. Mason sighed as he looked over at his wife.

"No, we don't mind. If your Phillip is as nice a person as his parents are, I'll be happy to see them date and maybe…" Mason paused. "Niko Giuliani pursued Suzie, during their senior year in high school, to get in good with me, so that I'd get him a job at the studio; after which, he dumped her in a very public and embarrassing way. She's been among the walking-wounded ever since. I guess Cheryl and I've become overprotective of her."

"Don't worry, you two, everything will be alright." Liz assured them, smiling.

TBC

Was It A Dream? Part 20

Friday evening, Dee, Amy, Phillip and Sue, gathered at the house, after their last classes. They put their luggage into Phil's SUV and then all squished themselves in, so that Shaun could drive them a couple blocks to an empty neighborhood park.

"Why are we stopping here, instead of heading to the airport?" Sue asked.

"Because this park will be the airport, in a few minutes." Phillip explained. "Johann is going to pick us up here in a helicopter. Going by helicopter saves us at least thirty to forty-five minutes in getting to the airport."

"Oh, I've never been in a helicopter." Sue said, anxiously.

"Don't worry, Sue. Johann is a very good pilot and flying in a chopper is fun!" Dee assured her friend.

Just then, they heard the noise of an approaching chopper. They looked way up to see one flying overhead; then it started to slowly descend, straight down, to the park. Sue was holding Phil's hand, as they stood out of the way and she could hear Shaun over the Connection, guiding the chopper down, to land safely in the park.

As soon as it had landed, Phillip gently guided Sue over to the side hatch and helped her up into the cabin and strapped her into her seat. He helped Shaun stow their luggage and then took his seat next to Sue, as they waited a few moments for Shaun to say good-bye to Amy. Shaun had an experiment, which was due on Monday and still needed some work done on it, or he would have been coming with them….and so he had to give Amy a good, long kiss good-bye, as they all waited patiently.

"Hey Johann, thanks for coming out to pick us up." Phillip said. "This is our friend, Sue Blair." He introduced her to their pilot.

"Good to see you Phil, Dee; nice to meet you, Sue." He said.

"Nice to meet you too, Johann." Sue said as Amy finally took her place inside the chopper and Shaun went to stand in front of the craft's nose, as a guide for Johann, as he took off.

After a few moments, Sue realized that riding in a chopper was indeed fun and she settled down to enjoy the ride, grinning at Phillip. When they landed at the airport, a few minutes later, they were just a few yards away from a beautiful Lear-jet with a large V on the side of its tail. They all jumped down and Johann and Phillip transferred the luggage over to the small plane. Another pilot, from the airport came over and flew the helicopter back to its hanger for them and they were ready to board. But Sue was in for a surprise. Instead of sitting down on one of the comfortable couches, back in the cabin, Phillip took her up to the cockpit.

"Hey Louise, nice to see you again, mind if I fly this baby for a while, first?" Phil asked Johann's beloved wife and co-pilot.

"Hi Phil, no go right ahead. We flew out early and have been here for several hours, so we've both had the proper rest and will be ready to take over whenever you want us to." Louise said, before she turned to Sue. "Hi, you must be Sue. I'm Louise, Johann's wife and co-pilot; welcome aboard."

"Thanks Louise, it's nice to meet you too." Sue said, before Louise left the cockpit. "Who's your co-pilot? Don't you need a co-pilot?" Sue asked.

"Not in such a small plane. It's more a matter of how long the flight is. Johann and Louise will rest for a while longer in back and then they can finish the flight for us, then."

Sue nodded and allowed herself to be guided into the co-pilot's chair and be strapped in by Phil. She read off the check-list, as Phil double-checked all of the plane's systems. Soon, Phil was receiving permission to taxi out onto the runway and take off. Sue was very impressed with Phil's expertise and no-nonsense attitude to flying. When they leveled off at their cruising altitude, Phil was able to show Sue their route on a map and asked her to navigate for him. Sue did so, while taking in the fantastic view afforded by the cloudless sky. In no time at all, two hours had passed by and Johann and Louise were knocking on the cockpit door, telling Phil and Sue that it was time for them to take over. The two couples switched places and Phil and Sue went back to the cabin.

They found Amy and Dee stretched out at opposite ends of one long couch, fast asleep, so Phil indicated that Sue could sit down on the couch, on the opposite side of the cabin.

"Would you like something to eat or drink? There are sandwiches and all sorts of junk-food back here, as well as all kinds of drinks." He told her from the small galley at the back of the cabin.

"Yeah, a sandwich, some chips and a pop would be great." Sue answered.

Phil brought a tray, loaded with sandwiches, chips, two cans of pop and some freshly baked apple turnovers, for dessert.

"Looks like Grandma Amy has been busy baking again." Phil enthused.

"Grandma Amy, she's your Aunt Maria's mother and obviously, Amy's grandmother." Sue confirmed and Phil nodded, smiling. Dee, Phil and Amy had told Sue all about their families, over the last week.

"Yeah and she's a great baker. I asked her to make my birthday cake again this year." Phil said.

"Doesn't that hurt your mother's feelings?" Sue asked.

"No, Mom and Dad are both great cooks, but neither of them bakes much. Grandma Amy makes the cakes and desserts for all of our holidays and special occasions." Phil explained.

After eating their snack/dinner, Sue and Phil snuggled into each other's arms, but stayed slouched on the sofa. They chatted about inconsequential topics for a while and then fell asleep. An hour and a half later, they woke up as one; stretching but remaining in each other's embrace.

"We must be almost home, we're descending." Phil observed.  
"Yeah, we're about thirty minutes away from landing." Amy told them. We were going to give you two about fifteen more minutes, before we woke you up."

"Where's Dee?" Sue asked, looking around the cabin.

"She's in the lady's room, freshening up." Amy answered and then, as if hearing her name being called, Dee popped out of the lavatory and Amy ran to take her place.

"I'd better do a little freshening up, as well." Sue said, as she reached for her purse to pull out her comb.

"You look lovely, as always." Phil assured her.

"I'm going to meet your parents for the first time…in the flesh, anyway and I'm nervous, so I need to comb my hair, Phil." Sue told him, as she turned away from him a little to give herself some psychological privacy, if not physical privacy, as she made unnecessary touch-ups to her make-up and hair.

While she was combing her short hair, Sue could see Dee out of the corner of her eye, as the other girl did some last-minute brushing of her gorgeous, long, blond hair. Something broke inside Sue and a few tears started to slip down her face. Unnoticed by Sue, Phil had been able to see her reflection, in her compact mirror and now he saw her tears and gathered her back into his arms.

"Sue, what's the matter? You don't have a thing to be nervous about; my parents will love you." Phil assured her.

"It's not…sniff…that." Sue said, trying not to cry.

"What's the matter, Suzie?" Dee asked, concerned as she came over and sat on the other side of her friend.

"It's silly…" Sue said.

"Nothing that makes you cry is silly." Phil told her, firmly.

"It's just that…it's been over three years since I cut my hair short…and all of a sudden…I miss it." Sue started to cry again.

"Oh Suzie, your hair is beautiful, just the way it is." Dee assured her.

"I was watching you brush your lovely hair, Dee and the memory of brushing mine came back to me…and I miss it…so much."

"I could…give you back your long hair…if you'd like." Phil offered.

"What?" Both Sue and Dee exclaimed.

"I could grow your hair long for you…but it could only be for this weekend." Phil warned her. "If I make it long for you, will you be able to handle it, when I have to make it short again, Sunday night? You wouldn't be able to explain how your hair grew so long, over just a weekend."

"Would you really do that for me?" Sue asked.

"Of course, but I think that you're beautiful inside and out, no matter how long your hair is." Phil told her.

"Can we try it and then if I look really dumb, you can make it short again before we land." Sue suggested.

"Alright." Phil agreed.

"Here, let me create a mirror for you." Dee jumped up and walked over to the other side of the plane, where she swept her hand over the bulkhead and it turned into one, large mirror, with lights all around it.

"If you don't want to watch, just close your eyes." Phil advised.

"No, I want to watch." Sue said.

"How long do you want your hair to be?"

"It was about as long as Dee's is now, down past my waist." Sue told him.

Phil nodded and then started to sweep his glowing hands over Sue's head. With each sweep, her hair grew about six inches, until it was down past her waist.

"Here are two combs, Sue." Dee said. "I think your hair would look really great, if it were pulled away from your face and secured with the combs, at the side, like Jane Seymour, in that old TV show, 'Dr. Quinn'." Dee suggested. Sue nodded at her friend and Dee bent forward to arrange her hair as she had described.

"Oh that does look nice!" Sue said, happily, looking side to side, at her reflection. "Thank you, Phil for doing this for me and thank you, Dee for arranging my hair this way."

"Oh my gosh, what did you do to your hair? It's gorgeous!" Amy exclaimed, as she came out of the lavatory. "I go to powder my nose and you grew two feet of hair!"

"Sue wanted to try having her hair long, like she used to, so Phil lengthened it for her and I arranged it." Dee explained.

"It's so shiny and straight and I've always loved the gold and red highlights your hair has." Amy told Sue.

"I know that I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands out of it." Phil said. "Dad is always playing with Mom's long hair."

"Hey you guys, we're about to land in a few minutes. Please stow everything away and buckle yourselves in." Johann announced over the P.A.

They scrambled around, getting everything cleaned up and Dee changed the mirror back into the bulkhead, with three windows in it. They all buckled in, but Phil had Sue looking out her window as the plane made a slow circle, over the valley.

"Oh, Phillip, it's more beautiful than I imagined!" Sue exclaimed in wonder as she gazed down at the V-shaped valley.

Shortly after that, they landed on the air-strip, just outside Airatan's mountainous walls and Louise came to open the hatch. Phil helped Sue down the plane's steps and then turned to catch the luggage, which Johann was tossing down to him.

"Here come Mom, Dad, Aunt Maria and Uncle Michael." Dee said, as two cars pulled up a safe distance from the plane.

"Mom, Dad!" Both Dee and Amy called out to their respective parents, as they ran over to be gathered into their arms.

Phil put down the last piece of luggage, thanked Johann and Louise for the flight, took Sue's hand and drew her over to his parents.

"Mom and Dad, this is Sue." He said, simply.

Max and Liz noticed their clasped hands, how closely they stood to each other and the happy expressions they both wore on their faces and knew that there was nothing simple about their relationship.

"Nice to meet you, for real, Sue." Max said, shaking her small hands in both of his large ones.

"Nice to meet you, as well, Mr. Evans; Mrs. Evans." Sue said, as she shook Liz's hand.

'Oh yes, if Phil's expression is anything to go by, this young woman will soon be my third daughter.' Liz thought to herself, as she smiled gently at Sue.

"Hey there Phil." Max greeted his son with a hug.

"Hi Dad; Mom." Phil said, as he hugged his tiny mother, as well.

"Uncle Michael, Aunt Maria, this is our friend, Sue Blair." Dee introduced her.

"Nice to meet you, Sue. We look forward to meeting your parents, tomorrow." Maria said and Michael smiled his greeting to her.

"Let's get everything loaded and head home." Michael said.

"You'll be staying with us, of course, Sue." Liz said. "Your parents and aunt will have the choice of staying in our one hotel, down here at this end of the valley, or staying at a friend's house, who lives nearby us." Sue nodded, as they all got into the cars and took off for the other end of the valley.

"We're all coming to your house, after breakfast tomorrow, right, Maxwell?" Michael called between cars, after they had both stopped at the foot of the Guerin driveway.

"Yeah, come whenever you want to." Max answered and then pulled away, to drive to his home.

"Suzie!" Libby called, as she ran up to the car, after it had stopped by her house.

"Libby!" Sue called, as she scrambled out of the car to hug her one-time playmate.

"Oh my gosh, it is so great to see you!" They both exclaimed.

"Come in, all of you." Max said, as he herded his family inside.

"Sue, you have a choice of two places to sleep." Liz explained. "Dee and Libby can share a room and you can have one of theirs all to yourself, or you can share a room with one of the girls, if you'd like."

"Well, I'd really like a chance to get caught up with you, Libby. Would you mind sharing your room with me, as you did when we were little?"

"Of course not, that's a great idea!" Libby exclaimed, coming over to her friend. "I can tell you all about my big brother!" She whispered into Sue's ear.

"I'd like that!" Sue whispered back and then started to giggle along with her friend, as she gazed over at a worried Phillip.

"Come on, I'll show you my room" Libby said, taking Sue's hand in hers and the two of them and Dee ran towards the bedroom wing.

"We'll have cake and coffee out here if you'd like some, girls." Liz called after them.

"I realize it's ten o'clock, back in Cambridge, Phil. How are you holding up?" Max asked his son.

"I'm…going to want to hit the sack, soon, Dad. It's been a long day." Phil said.

"Well, you're home now, so do whatever you want to." Liz said and Phil smiled.

Back in the bedroom wing, the girls had decided to get into their night clothes, but to go get some cake and bring it back to Libby's room, to eat, since it was only eight o'clock to Libby. As Sue came back with her cake, Phil motioned to her to come into his room for a moment.

"We aren't going to be able to sleep together while we're here. It's a pity you didn't ask for your own room, I could have snuck in and…" Phil whispered to Sue.

"It's best that I'm staying with your sister, so that you can't sneak in and…" Sue whispered back.

"Don't let them monopolize all of your time. I want to spend time with you, as well; show you around the valley."

"Don't worry; I'm sure we'll have plenty of time together." Sue assured him, before she went up on tip-toe, to kiss him good night.

"Mmm goodnight, Sweetheart." Phil told her, as he made himself release her.

"Goodnight, Phil." Sue said, as she reluctantly took her cake and went back into Libby's room.

Max and Liz ended up sitting alone to eat their cake and drink their coffee.

"Sue is so much more happy-looking." Liz observed.

"Yes, and she must have asked someone to lengthen her hair for her. I wonder if My son, Phil will be as tempted to play with Sue's hair as his father is tempted to play with his mother's?" Max wondered, as he reached out to twine a lock of Liz's, long hair through his fingers.

"If he's learned anything from his romantic, sexy father, he will." Liz murmured. She had already forgotten her cake and cooling coffee, on the table, as she slipped her arms up around Max's neck, to slide her fingers through his short, but silky hair and bring his lips down to hers.

"He's a bright lad." Max murmured, between kisses.

"And Sue looks like an intelligent young woman. She'll figure out the seductive power of long hair, if Phil doesn't." Liz said and then there was no more talking between the two of them.

Early the next morning, Sue came out to the kitchen, dressed and ready for a new day, to find Phil at the large, cherry kitchen table, drinking coffee.

Happy birthday." Sue called softly, as she came over to give Phil an extra-special birthday kiss.

"Mmmm, happy birthday to me, indeed!" Phil grinned up at her. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, but I can get it for myself." Sue motioned Phil to stay seated.

"The rest of the family won't be up for a while yet. I could make us some of my famous French toast now, or we could go out for a walk first and come back to have breakfast, afterwards." Phil suggested.

"A walk sounds great if I can take my coffee and perhaps a banana, with me." Sue said.

"Bananas are a good idea. You should be warm enough in that sweater, but let me get my jacket, and then I can put these 'nanas in my pockets." Phil left the kitchen, but was back in a few minutes, wearing his brown leather jacket. "Ready to go?" He asked, holding out his hand to Sue.

"Ready." Sue said, as she put her hand in his.

Phil took her out the front door, which faced the mountainside, across the front lawn and up a flight of steps to a trail, which ran around the entire valley, just above most of the houses. Phil pointed out one house, which was a ways up the mountain, but only a short distance from his own home.

"That's Sam Jones' house up there, where your parents and aunt have the option of staying. He's a retired General and he wanted to build his house way up high 'among the treetops', as he put it. The house is earth-sheltered; built into a natural cave, but you'd never know that you're underground because of all the windows and skylights that he has." Phil told her.

"Oh wow, I'd love to see it and I bet Aunt Susan will love staying there; she loves unusual architecture." Sue said.

From there, Phil and Sue strolled down the trail; taking in the incredible views of the two valleys. Sue sipped her coffee, which Phil kept hot for her and they both ate their bananas, to tide themselves over, until they walked back to the Evans' house, sometime later. They entered the house to the mouth-watering scents of French toast being made with cinnamon raisin bread.

"Wow, everything smells so good and we're starving." Phillip said, as he and Sue walked into the kitchen. There was a flurry of 'happy birthdays' and 'where have you been?' from his two sisters and his parents.

"Sue and I woke up early and decided to take a walk. I took her along the upper trail for a ways; showing her the valley." Phil explained.

"Phil pointed out General Jones' house. I'd love to see the inside!" Sue said, excitedly.

"I'm sure that Sam would be happy to give you a tour, even if your family doesn't opt to stay there." Liz said.

"You two come and eat your breakfasts, while they're still hot." Max said.

"This looks delicious, Mr. Evans." Sue said, as she sat down at the table.

Sue and Phil were still eating when a large group of people barged through the French doors, into the family room. The 'happy birthdays' being called out to Phil, who had a full mouth, told Sue that all of these people must be family and friends.

"Hey everyone!" Phillip called out to his aunts, uncles and cousins, after he swallowed his French toast and a large gulp of milk. "Uncle Kyle and Aunt Tess, when did all of you get here?"

"We drove up from Roswell, yesterday evening." Kyle said. "We want to be here with both of your parents when Niko arrives on Monday."

"Oh he's already here." Max said. "Our security people already caught him twice last week, trying to cut through or climb over the out perimeter fence. We're now waiting for him to try and tunnel his way under the fence."

"I don't suppose he's tried to just walk through the open gates, during the day?" Phillip asked.

"No, people with twisted-up psyches don't usually think of the obvious." Michael said.

"When are Aunt Isabel and Uncle Alex flying in?" Phillip asked.

"They should be here within the next hour, with Sue's parents and aunt. They're coming in on the same plane." Liz said.

"Happy birthday!" Another group of people came through the French doors.

'These must be all of the grandparents.' Sue thought, looking at the gray-haired, but healthy and active-looking folks.

"Grandmas; Grandpas!" Phil called out. "Sue, come with me, you have to meet all of my grandparents and then I'll introduce you to everyone else." Phil did so, while holding her hand and then a game of Frisbee was suggested and everyone noisily trooped back outside.

This was how Mason, Cheryl and Susan saw the Evans' house when they arrived; encircled by young people and old, all having a great time, outdoors. The three of them had, had a very pleasant flight in from L.A., with Alex and Isabel Whittman and their two college-age kids, Charlie and Judy. They had been met at the airstrip, just outside of town by Max, who had slipped away from his home; and General Sam Jones, who was very graciously inviting the three of them to stay in his house, unless they wanted to stay in the excellent hotel at the other end of the valley. Mason, Cheryl and a flustered Susan had all agreed that they would love to stay at the General's house, if he was sure that he would not mind sharing his home with three strangers. Sam had driven his guests to his house, to drop off their luggage, allow them to freshen up, had given them a quick tour and then they had all walked down the steps to the Evans' back yard.

"There's Sue." Mason pointed out their daughter, to Cheryl and Susan.

"Her hair looks different." Cheryl noted. "Oh my gosh, it's long! Her hair has grown long again. How could that have happened in just three weeks?"

"I don't know, but that's not the only thing different about her. She has her old spark back, Cheryl. Our little girl is smiling and laughing again; she's come back out of her shell!"

"Oh Mason!" Cheryl sighed, happily, just watching Sue play for a few moments.

"Do you think her young man had something to do with bringing her out of her shell?" Susan asked, smiling. "Boy, he's cute! Let's stop gawking and go and say hello."

The four of them walked down the hill, to greet their daughter and meet her boyfriend…so far, so good.

**TBC**


	5. Parts 21 thru 25

Was it a Dream? Part 21-25 

Mason, Cheryl and Susan were having a pleasant flight from L.A. to Airatan, with fellow passengers, Alex and Isabel Whittman and their college-age kids, Charlie and Judy. They spoke casually about their careers in acting and Isabel's career as a model. It was a short flight and soon they were circling the V-shaped valley in preparation to land.

"Oh, we've never seen the valley from the air; look Susan." Cheryl pointed out.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Susan exclaimed and then they were coming in for a landing.

Max and another gentleman were waiting there, both driving a car.

'Oh my goodness, that other man is handsome!' Susan thought to herself, as she shyly glanced at him from under her long lashes. 'Rugged, distinguished and his lean body is so...sexy! Kind of like Richard Dean Anderson, in Stargate: SG1.'

"Isabel, Alex, Charlie and Judy; great to see you again!" Max greeted his family with hugs but kept them brief so as not to make his other three friends feel left out.

"Mason, Cheryl, Susan thanks for coming. Let me introduce you to Sam Jones, here. Sam's house is just above ours and he made the suggestion that you might like to stay with him. I can tell you that he has a great home, with lots of room. Otherwise, if you would prefer, we have an excellent little hotel at this end of the valley and you would be welcome to stay there."

"Hello, nice to meet all three of you. You would be most welcome to stay in my home if you'd like. It won't be any trouble at all." Sam said, looking directly at Susan.

'What an added bonus; having this lovely lady staying in my home; as well as helping Max and Liz out.' Sam thought to himself. 'Whoa there, Jones, she looks like a shy little filly, who's easily spooked. Back off and take it slow.'

'Choose to stay with Sam Jones.' Susan was thinking over and over; sending her thoughts towards Mason and Cheryl, hoping that they would choose to stay near their friends, rather than in a hotel.

"Mr. Jones, it's very generous of you to share your home with us. We would love to stay near our friends, if you're sure that it would be alright." Mason said, as Susan nodded her head and shyly whispered her agreement.

"Great, let me help you put your luggage into my vehicle and then I can take you to my home, where you can freshen up, before we walk down to Max and Liz's house."

Sam took Susan's luggage and put it in the back for her, while Mason and Cheryl put their own suitcases into the car, before Sam could help them. They gave each other a significant glance and a smile and then both got into the back seat so that Susan would have to sit up front, with Sam.

Susan did not want to make a fuss, so she took the passenger seat. As they drove around the valley, Sam pointed out special sights to all of his passengers, but he used this as an excuse to glance over at Susan. In her turn, Susan pretended to be looking at the scenery, while sneaking glimpses at Sam. Sam stopped the car when they were almost to the other end of the valley. Max pulled up beside him, with the Whittmans in his car.

"I'll get my guests settled in a little and then we'll come down to your place." Sam told Max, who nodded, before driving off. Sam turned to his passengers. "I stopped here so I could point out my house; you can't see it from the road too well. Hope you like a bird's-eye-view." Sam said as he pointed ahead and up...and up...to a stone, wood and glass house, barely visible among the trees.

"Oh my goodness, how beautiful!" Susan exclaimed. "I can hardly wait to see the inside."

"In a few minutes, you'll have your wish, Susan." Sam told her, as he moved the car forward. A short time later, he pushed the button on a remote garage-door opener and drove into a sizable garage.

"Sorry to bring you in this way, but it is the easiest way to access my house." Sam said, as they all got out of the car. Everyone went to take their luggage from the back, but Sam took Susan's suitcase; allowing her to only carry her smaller case.

"The elevator is this way." Sam took them through a door into a small but lovely entryway. "There are outdoor and indoor stairways up to my home from this level, as well." Sam pointed out, as he opened the door to a small elevator.

They could feel that they were ascending the mountain quite a ways in the elevator, before it came to a smooth stop and the doors opened. Sam and his guests moved out directly into a great-room, which was Sam's main living space. It held couches and sofas in sitting groups, a dining table and chairs on one side of a high kitchen counter/eating bar, from a nice sized but efficient kitchen. The inside walls were covered with bookshelves, a few glass cases and an enormous fireplace...none of which were more than six feet tall. The upper half of the twelve-foot walls were covered in a warm cream color and hung with photographs of beautiful, natural scenes. None of these pictures however, could compare to the view they could see out the curved wall of windows, on the opposite side.

"Oh Mr. Jones, what a Fabulous view; what a lovely room, too!" Susan exclaimed.

"Thank you, I really love living here, but please call me Sam. Your guestrooms are this way. There is only one bathroom on this side of the house. If you'd like, Mason you'd be welcome to use my bath, which is on the other side; and leave the ladies to this one." Sam suggested as he showed them the two bedrooms and the bath.

Susan, Cheryl and Mason took just a few minutes to freshen up in their spacious rooms and then presented themselves back out in the great-room, where Sam was doing a little bird-watching, using the telephoto lens on his camera to track a bird's flight. Occasionally he shot some pictures, but mostly he was just watching.

"Our rooms look very comfortable, Sam." Mason said. "Thanks again for inviting us to stay in your home."

"My pleasure. Are you ready? We can just walk down to the Evans' house."

"Where is it, I don't see any other houses nearby." Cheryl asked.

"It's almost right below us, but you can't see it because of all the trees on both of our properties." Sam explained.

They took the elevator down, walked outside, crossed the road, went down a flight of steps and then they could see parts of the Evans' house, through the trees. They walked through a gap in those pines and spruce and around the house, to the back where they could hear many voices laughing and talking. All four of them saw a very large group of young and old, having a great time together. The younger people were in the middle of an energetic game of Frisbee and in the middle of that group was Sue.

"There's Sue." Mason pointed out their daughter, to Cheryl and Susan.

"Her hair looks different." Cheryl noted. "Oh my gosh, it's long! Her hair has grown long again. How could that have happened in just three weeks?"

"I don't know, but that's not the only thing different about her. She has her old spark back, Cheryl. Our little girl is smiling and laughing again; she's come back out of her shell!"

"Oh Mason!" Cheryl sighed, happily, just watching Sue play for a few moments.

"Do you think her young man had something to do with bringing her out of her shell?" Susan asked, smiling. "Boy, he's cute! Let's stop gawking and go and say hello."

The four of them walked down the hill, to greet their daughter and meet her boyfriend.

"Mason, Cheryl, Susan and Sam; welcome." Max called out and came forward to greet them.

"Wow, Max you have quite a party going on here." Cheryl said.

"Yeah, let me introduce you. Sam we set up a coffee urn over there, since it's still morning, you might want some."

"Coffee sounds great. Susan, would you like any?"

"Oh a cup of coffee would be wonderful, but I can get my own." Susan said.

"It's not a problem at all. Go with Max and I'll bring you a cup. How do you take yours?"

"Just black, please." Susan said, blushing at his attention, even if it was only over coffee.

"Oh, uh Mason or Cheryl, would you like anything?" Sam made himself think of his other two guests. Mason and Cheryl glanced at each other.

"We're fine, thanks, Sam." Mason answered their host.

"All right, I'll find you out in this crowd in just a minute." He promised Susan.

"Well shall we go find Sue and Phillip?" Max asked and led the three of them over to the Frisbee game.

Meanwhile, Sam was pouring two cups of coffee, when Liz came up to him.

"Hi Sam, did you get your guests settled in?"

"Yes, Max is introducing them around, now. I'm just grabbing a cup of coffee for Susan and I."

"Ahh, for Susan; what do you think of her?" Liz smiled knowingly at her friend.

"Man, Liz you're not even a little Antarian, but you can still read me like a book!" Sam grinned. "I think she's a beautiful filly, who's easily spooked."

"Yes, I think so too...spooked by someone she finds attractive. She was perfectly confident around Max and I, as well as Mason and Cheryl, but then we are married couples."

"Liz, do you think Michael would do a little hocus-pocus for me and would you mind if I use one of your mugs? I'll replace it of course."

"Don't worry about the mug, Sam." Liz said and then she called Michael over, sub-vocally.

"Hey Sam, Liz said you wanted to ask me something?"

Sam was looking down at the two blue, stoneware mugs he was holding and then he nodded to Michael and told him and Liz what he wanted to do. They both grinned and Michael got to work. A few minutes later, Sam found Susan and handed a mug of coffee to her.

"Thank you, Sam, that was so nice of you; and what a lovely mug; the shape of it and the picture on the side." Susan turned the mug to see the entire picture; a dark haired man petting a filly's glossy neck and whispering into her ear, as the horse nuzzled her nose into the man's shoulder.

"Yes, I understand that Michael Guerin made that mug, he did a great job didn't he?" Sam asked.

"Oh yes, I have one of his small horse statues in my back garden; I love his work!" Susan smiled.

"Michael usually names his statues; what's yours called?" Sam asked.

"Serenity." Susan answered and Sam smiled politely.

'Serenity was supposed to be part of a pair, but was sold separately, by accident. It was supposed to belong with the statue I have; Harmony.' Sam thought to himself.

"Do you ride?" Sam asked aloud, instead.

"I used to when I was a young girl. I only get to ride once in a while now." Susan told him.

"How about a morning ride, tomorrow? Mornings are always the best time to ride. I could show you more of the valley, as well." Sam oh-so-casually offered.

"I'd, I'd love to, only I want to attend church services, as well." Susan said.

"Not a problem, there are several church services, later in the morning, or early afternoon; we can make one of those easily after our morning ride."

"O-kay, that sounds great then." Susan said, smiling. 'He's just being a good host. You'll have to leave tomorrow night. Don't take any of this personally.' She warned herself. The two of them were brought back to their surroundings by Suzie.

"Aunt Susan, Mom, Dad!" Sue cried out and ran over to her family and hugged each of them in turn. After they greeted each other, Sue introduced Phil.

"Mom, Dad and Aunt Susan, this is Phillip."

"Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Blair; Miss Nelson." Phillip said, as he shook each of their hands.

"It's good to meet you at last, Phillip." Cheryl said, smiling.

"Please, Phillip, call me Aunt Susan, as Suzie does."

"Thanks...Aunt Susan!" Phil smiled at the older woman. 'Well at least one of them really likes me.' He said silently, to Sue, through their joined hands.

'My parents like you.' Sue assured him, sub-vocally. She was still getting used to hearing Phil's silent voice and being able to communicate back to him, if they were holding hands.

'I'm not so sure about your father.' Phil said, but all he heard was Sue giggling at him.

"Sue, this is our host, Sam Jones." Mason made the introductions.

"Nice to meet you, General and thank you for allowing my family to stay in your home, so close by. Phillip pointed out your house to me this morning. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to see the inside. Like my aunt, I'm also interested in architecture." Sue said.

"You are a general, Sam?" Mason asked. "With which branch of the military?"

"Retired from the Air-Force, two years ago, but I had bought some land here and built my house, seven years ago." Sam explained. "And you'd be welcome to come up and see my house anytime, Sue."

After that, Max took Mason, Cheryl and Susan around to meet their other friends and family, while Phil and Sue went back to the Frisbee game and Sam kept a casual eye on his lovely guest, as she moved through the crowd. At one point, Susan went back to the coffee urn, to refill her mug and met Liz and Michael there.

"Susan Nelson, may I introduce you to Michael Guerin? Michael, Susan has one of your statues in her back garden." Liz said, as the two shook hands.

"Yes, it's a lovely statue of a horse. I almost feel as if it will come to life, sometimes, when I sit looking at it." Susan laughed at her fanciful idea.

"You have 'Serenity', don't you?" At Susan's nod, Michael continued. "That was meant to go with the statue Sam has, named 'Harmony'." Michael said.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't know that it was part of a set. Do you want me to return it?" Susan asked, reluctantly.

"No, of course not, but maybe someday the two of you can bring the two statues together to see how well they fit." Michael suggested. 'How well the two of you would fit together.' He thought.

"That's a great idea. Maybe we could do that...someday." Susan said. "Oh, I also wanted to tell you how lovely this mug you made is. The shape is so graceful and the picture is so sweet. I didn't know you worked in ceramics, I thought you only created metal sculptures." Susan said.

"Usually, I do, but every once in a while, a friend will ask me to create something special and then it's fun to try something different." Michael said, allowing Susan to believe that Liz had asked him to make the mug. Just then, someone called to Michael and he excused himself.

"Why don't you take it home with you; as a small thank you for all that you've done to help us." Liz said.

"Oh no, I couldn't; Michael made this especially for you." Susan said, putting the mug down.

"Michael has made other things for me, as well. It would give me pleasure to see you keep something that I know you liked so much. I saw you looking at it several times, while you were drinking from it." Liz assured Susan, who put out her hand and then drew it back.

"Are you sure? I truly didn't mean..." Susan asked again.

'I'm sure that you rarely ask for anything for yourself.' Liz thought. "I'm very sure. I would really like for you to have and use the mug." Liz said out loud. Susan picked the mug back up and turned it in her hands, admiring it again.

"Thank you, Liz. It is so lovely and I will enjoy drinking from it, often." Susan said.

After she poured more coffee into the mug and went back into the crowd, to find Mason and Cheryl, Liz also looked around the crowd, for Sam. When she found him, Liz grinned and gave him a thumbs-up sign. Sam grinned back at her and mouthed 'thank you' to her. Liz winked at him and then went back to her other duties as hostess.

The Frisbee game turned into a game of touch-football, after lunch. Certain couples playing the game did insist on gently tackling each other, though.

"MAX!" Liz yelped, as her husband caught her from behind, but then rolled so that she ended up on top of him.

"PHILLIP, I didn't even have the ball!" Sue yelled, as they ended up in the same position, as his parents.

"I thought my mom might be about to pass the ball to you, so I decided to move proactively!" Phil explained, grinning.

"Uh huh, yeah sure, Phil." Sue said, but with a smile of her own, on her lips. "If you want to spend some real one-on-one time, why don't we sneak away to somewhere private?" Sue suggested.

"You are brilliant!" Phil said, giving her a quick, smacking kiss, before he helped her up, off of the ground.

His father was doing the same for his mother. Both men glanced over and winked at the other, before both couples retired to the sidelines...and then drifted away from the crowd of players and spectators. The last Phil saw of his parents was as they walked around a curve of their house, to go inside.

'Your birthday dinner will be served at 5:30.' His mother called, silently to him. 'Bring Sue back in time to let her get dressed up for it.'

'All right, Mom.' Phil called back, as he took Sue's hand and drew her away from his home.

"Where are we going?" Sue asked.

"I thought you might like to see the clearing in the daylight." Phil suggested.

"You mean the clearing where I saw you doing your magic, all those years ago?" Susan asked.

"Yeah."

"Lead me to it." Sue said, excitedly.

They walked a ways until they reached the woods and soon after that they reached the clearing.

"Oh, even in the daylight, I can feel the energy here, the magic!" Sue exclaimed. "Did you create this place for your exercises?"

"No, it was a natural clearing, but we have kept trees and bushes from encroaching on it, so that it would remain the same size." Phil explained, as he drew Sue over to the trunk of a large spruce, which someone had trimmed of its lower branches.

He sat down on the ground and pulled Sue down to sit with him. She sat within Phil's lap, but sideways, with his left leg bent at the knee to support her back and Sue's knees bent a little to make a bridge over Phil's right thigh.

"I used to come here a lot, whenever I needed a private place to think." Phil told Sue, as he picked up her long braid and began to undo it, until her lovely long hair was free of confinement. He continued to play with the silky strands, as he explained why he had brought her here.

"I thought I might share with you, some of my memories of coming to this place at night, but I figured we could get comfortable and create the link in as pleasant a manner as possible."

"Oh and in what manner were you planning to create our link?" Sue asked, coyly.

"This manner." Phil said, as he brought up his hands to both sides of her face, laced his fingers through her silky hair and brought her lips down to his.

As their lips met, Sue began to get quick flashes of memory from Phil. As their kisses became deeper and more intense and Sue's arms wound their way around Phil's neck, drawing herself closer to his chest, the flashes smoothed out, into one continuous stream.

Sue watched as Phil grew older and the techniques, which he and his friends tried, became more difficult. The kids always worked carefully and Phil was usually the one who perfected the technique first. One of the most interesting exercises, which Sue saw, was when Phil must have been in his teens. Each boy or girl took a dead branch from the ground, changed it into a metal and then stretched or otherwise shaped the metal into a certain shape; while each piece floated in the air and then each piece fitted itself together with the other pieces, until they all made an intricate figurine; a lacy-looking butterfly, who's wings fluttered, or the outer shell of a race car. Sue saw many such forms created and recreated; all at the same time that she and Phil were drowning in the sensations of each other's touch and kisses.

"Air, I need air." Phil pleaded, in between his panting breaths. He held Sue close in is arms as they both caught their breaths.

"That was incredible to see, Phil!" Sue said, once she had recovered a little. "But I still think my favorite was when you threw rocks up into the air and they exploded, like fireworks, though."

"Yeah, that and making the misty figure-eight, which just floated in the air, are my favorites." Phil agreed.

They snuggled together, comfortably for a while, before Phil noticed that the shadows had shifted to late afternoon and he checked his watch for the time.

"Oh boy, it's 4:30, we had better get home, so that we can get cleaned up and dressed for the party." Phil said, as he got up and reached down his hand to pull Sue to her feet, as well.

"Okay. This has been a wonderful afternoon, I'll remember it always." Sue said.

"Me too."

"I just realized that I'll need to wash my hair, but since my hair was short, when I packed my suitcase, I didn't bring a hair dryer. Do you think your sisters have one I could borrow?"

"Don't worry about a hair dryer, just come to me and I'll dry your hair for you." Phil said. "But we had better hurry."

"Anxious are we?" Sue teased.

"Hey, this may be my twenty-first birthday, but I still like having a birthday party, complete with presents and cake!"

"Oh well, let's go then." Sue said and then started to run, holding onto Phil's hand as she went.

Part 22

When Phillip and Sue came running into the house, to get ready for the birthday party, Max took them aside to tell them that they had better use the master bath, as Libby and Dee were busy in the bathroom they shared with Phil. Phil told Sue to go ahead first, while he helped his parents in the kitchen.

"You aren't going to be able to find your birthday cake and take swipes at the frosting, so why don't you go to your room and get ready?" Liz teased her son. Phil gave her an injured look that said 'me, sneak frosting? Never!' And they all broke out laughing. Phil had a history of licking frosting.

A few minutes later, a freshly scrubbed and gorgeous Sue came into the kitchen, in her bathrobe and asked Phil if he could dry her long hair for her, as he had suggested. The two of them went into Phil's bedroom. In the kitchen, Max and Liz raised their eyebrows at each other.

"Drying and brushing your hair is one of my favorite things to do and one of the most sensual, other than making love with you." Max said softly into Liz's ear.

"Yes, they really are getting close." Liz whispered back, happily, as Max kissed her, just below her ear.

"Too close, too quickly?" Max asked and then blew into that ear.

"They're good kids, they'll be alright, unlike Phillip's father, who is getting me all wound up, while we are in the kitchen, with a houseful of kids and lots more people coming back in just under an hour and we can't go to our room, because he offered the use of our bathroom to his son!"

"Mmm sorry, love, it's just that your neck tastes so much better than frosting and it smells like heaven too." Max said, as he finished nibbling and moved away a little.

"Oh you always know just what to say to get yourself out of trouble." Liz sighed.

"Not really, because I'm all wound up too." He grinned.

Back in Phil's room, Sue was sitting on his desk chair, while Phil gently drew a brush through her hair, which was almost dry.

"Now that I've had the great pleasure of playing with and brushing your lovely hair, I think we're going to have to find other occasions when I can lengthen it for you, once we go back to Cambridge." Phil said.

"Oh could you Phillip? I'd love that, having long hair, but only when you...and your family could see it. It would be like in Victorian times when ladies wore their hair up, dressed and acted so prim and proper, until they were alone in their bedchambers, with their husbands and then they let their hair down and..."

"Well, I'm not your husband yet..." Phil started to say.

"Yet." Sue specified, blushing.

They gazed into each other's eyes, in the mirror, for several moments realizing what the other was thinking. Neither of them had mentioned marriage to the other; Phil had not proposed and Sue had not said yes, but both of them hoped that someday soon, they would be husband and wife and...

"...but I'd love to see your hair down...and be able to stroke it...as often as possible." Phil finished his original sentence.

"I'd like that...very much, too." Sue said, as she looked up at Phil, who was standing behind her. Phil turned Sue around in her seat, bent down and kissed her, lingeringly.

"If you two keep that up, neither of you will be ready for the party in time." Dee said, as she and her twin stood at the door to Phil's room.

"If you two don't stop interrupting us when we are kissing, you won't live to see your next birthdays." Phil shot back, but stopped kissing Sue anyway.

"I'd better go get dressed." Sue said, reluctantly.

And I'd better go get a shower." Phil said as they both got up to leave the room.

The two sisters guided Sue into Libby's room and Phil went in the opposite direction, towards his parents' room.

Some time later, everyone had arrived and then managed to all find a seat at the large dining table in the formal dining room.

"Wow, Max, this room and your living room are certainly impressive spaces. There are thirty-one of us here and we're all sitting at the same table!" Mason exclaimed.

"This room does come in handy for birthdays and holidays, otherwise it's used to assemble pamphlets and store paperwork." Max replied, smiling. "We rarely ever use these rooms for the formal functions they were built for."

"Everybody ready in there?" Amy DeLuca-Valenti called from around the corner.

"Ready!" Everyone else called back and Amy and her husband, retired Roswell sheriff, Jim Valenti, came in, carrying an enormous cake between them.

"Happy birthday to you...happy birthday, dear Phillip, happy birthday to you!"

"Yah! What did you wish for?" Amy Guerin asked, as she did at everyone's birthday.

"Can't tell you Amy, or it won't come true." Phil said.

"What kind of cake is that?" Alex called out.

"I think Phillip was feeling extra patriotic this year." Grandma Amy said. "He asked for a three layer ice-cream cake; one layer is strawberry, the middle is vanilla and the third layer is blueberry ice-cream; red, white and blue."

"I just had a craving for strawberries and blueberries." Phil replied.

"What ever...cut the cake!" Amy's brother, Marcus yelled.

"All right, all right!" Phil said, as he got up from his seat. "Sue, will you help me, please? Hand me the plates, but you have to keep them coming, alright?" Sue nodded, a little puzzled. Where was the cake-knife? She wondered.

Then, she found out that Antarians do not need cake-knives to cut birthday cake. First one way and then another; cuts were magically being made in the cake, as Phillip passed his hand over it.

"Ready with the plates, Sue?" Phil asked and then pieces of ice-cream cake began to peal themselves off from the main cake and float onto a plate, which Sue held out. She quickly passed the plate on and held up another, until everyone was served.

"Oh my word!" Aunt Susan exclaimed, from where she was sitting between Kyle and Sam Jones. "What great partners you two make!" She said, grinning at the two young people and the rest of the table chuckled along with her.

"We have Tabasco-laced chocolate sauce for the aliens among us and regular chocolate sauce to pour over your cake, if you'd like, for the rest of us." Liz said, as she brought in several small pitchers and placed them around the table.

"Excuse me, Tabasco and chocolate?" Mason exclaimed, looking a little green.

"We like our food to be sweet and spicy at the same time." Isabel explained and Mason nodded, smiling weakly.

After dessert, everyone moved into the large family room. Extra chairs were brought in, but the birthday-boy and his girlfriend still sat on the floor, right next to each other.

"Thank you for the gift certificate to the computer-store, Mr. and Mrs. Blair; there's a new palm unit I'd love to get and your gift will allow me to buy it now. Thanks again." Phil said, grinning at Sue's parents for their generous gift.

"Open mine next, Phil." Susan said, passing him her gift. "Actually it's more a gift for Suzie, but..."

"Oh wow, it's a whole set of the aftershave I use and other items made for the same brand, but how is this more a gift for Sue than for me?" Phil asked, puzzled.

"Suzie told me that she loves how you smell!" Aunt Susan said, laughing gently, as Sue was blushing from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

"Aunt Susan, did you have to tell him that?" Sue exclaimed.

"You don't like the way I smell after all?" Phil teased.

"No, I...I..." Sue couldn't finish and just hid her face in his chest.

"Too bad we aren't video-taping this, we could have sent it into the manufacturer, to use in one of their commercials!" Alex joked and everyone laughed.

"Here's the gift from Mom and Dad." Libby passed their gift to Phillip.

"Hey great, it's the entire anthology of my favorite music group! This is great, Mom and Dad, thank you!" Phil said, but since Sue was holding Phil's hand again, while Maria and Kyle fought over whose gift to give to Phil next, she could tell that he had been hoping for something else.

Sue glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Evans and caught them gazing at their son with a strange look in their eyes.

'Don't look now, but I think that they may have something else planned for you.' Sue told Phil, silently. 'They have a very strange look on their faces.' Phil looked closely at his parents and then Sue could sense both excitement and intense nervousness churning inside of him.

'What is it?" Sue asked, silently.

'We'll have to wait and see. I can't be sure they plan to do it, until they do.' Phil said, cryptically.

"Well, since your Aunt Maria and Uncle Kyle are still fighting, why don't you open my gift next?" Sue asked.

"Oh wow, what is it?" He asked, grinning at her, as he opened the small package. "It's a...it's a screen-saver with pictures of Airatan on it!" Phil said, awe-struck. "I didn't know we had one of these on the market." Phil said, as he brought up his hand to caress Sue's cheek.

"We don't." Liz explained. "Sue called me up and asked if it would be alright for her to download the pictures from our website so that she could make that screen-saver, especially for you. Of course I gave my permission and voila!"

"I wanted you to have a little bit of your home, back in Cambridge." Sue said.

"This was a wonderful and really thoughtful idea, Sue." Phil told her as he moved in to kiss her. "Thank you very much. I can hardly wait to install it."

"I'm glad you like it." Sue said, smiling.

"I love it." Phil replied, as Maria finally brought his next gift to him.

Phil continued to open his gifts until he was done. He looked around at all of the sweaters, jeans, shirts and especially the leather pants and vest; he had been given by Aunt Maria and Uncle Michael.

"Thank you for all these wonderful presents. I feel so lucky to have such a great big family and lots of good friends." Phil said.

"Actually, you have one more gift from us, Son." Max said, as Liz brought their gift to him.

"Happy twenty-first birthday to my handsome, wonderful son." Liz said with tears in her eyes.

"Mom?" Phil asked, worried.

"It's okay, Phil; open it." She told him and Max got up to stand next to Liz, with his arm around her.

Phil swallowed nervously and then opened the box. Inside, Sue could see something white.

"What is it Phil?" But Phil didn't hear her. His attention was focused on his parents.

"Mom, Dad, are you sure...you want to give me this?" Phil asked, as he stood up with the box in his hands.

"Are you sure you want to take it?" Max asked.

Both men looked at each other, took deep breathes, stood tall and straight and then said 'yes' at the same time. Phil took hold of the item and let the box drop to the floor. He unfolded it to show the room a long, white, sleeveless robe; unadorned as yet with any sort of decoration.

"But Phil isn't getting married yet...is he?" John Evans, Isabel's father, asked, confused. Sue, Mason, Cheryl and Susan looked on, also mystified by the significance of the white garment.

"John, these white robes are not only worn at our weddings, they are worn at certain special occasions and identify us with their decorations and markings." Max explained. "Phillip's is blank because he has yet to officially accept who he is; take up his birthright. He will do so today."

"Max, if you'd rather the four of us not be here...if this is a personal, family...thing..." Mason asked, uncertain.

"No Mason, I think that this ceremony will be very important for you all to see. It will show you an important part of who we are...who my son is." Max said.

"Um, okay." Was all Mason could say.

"The nine of us need to go and make a quick change. We'll be back in just a few minutes. Perhaps the rest of you would like to move outside." Liz suggested, as Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Isabel, Alex, Tess, Kyle and Phillip left the room.

Incredibly, it was only a matter of perhaps five minutes, before the group came back; and what an entrance (or exit) they made. The French doors from the family room opened by themselves and each couple walked through the opening.

Max and Liz came first, wearing their white robes and golden circlets. Phil walked right behind them, wearing his new, blank robe and a serious expression. Isabel and Alex, Michael and Maria and then Tess and Kyle all came out, walking as couples, also wearing their white robes.

"Libby and Dee, come stand up front, please." Max instructed his daughters. Everyone else, please take the hand of a non-alien, so that they can be a part of this ceremonial connection, as well."

Libby, Dee and Amy reached out to Mason, Cheryl, Susan and Sue and took their hands. Once everyone was settled, Max began.

"All Antarians; wherever you are and all citizens of Airatan, please here me." At these words, Mason looked around him and he was certain that he saw hundreds of ghostly forms standing on the lawn, listening to what Max Evans had to say.

"I asked you all to be available at this time, because we have something very important to tell you." Max continued. As none of us has ever done this or seen this done before, I will need to give some explanation. As you know, we, your king and queen, have three children; our oldest, Phillip and our two daughters, Diane Elizabeth, or Dee and Liza Belle, or Libby." Max indicated each of them as he said their names. "By our laws and our customs, either of our children could have asked to be recognized as our heir, your next king or queen. Three years ago, when Phillip turned eighteen and the girls were sixteen, we spoke to them about their futures and asked each of them to think carefully about whether or not they would want to take the thrown...sometime in the future."

"One year ago, Phillip came to us with his sisters and they gave us their decisions. Phillip asked to be made my official heir and Dee and Libby asked to be made his royal counselors. I am a lawyer and have ruled using my expertise in the law; but Phillip realized, as have many of us, that in the last twenty-five years, our community has grown here on Earth and out in space. We live under the laws of the land and countries we live in; plus we are a peaceable people, so we need a leader who is versed in business rather than the law. Therefore, our son has been studying towards his Masters in business administration and has been taking summer jobs with some of you, so that he may better understand how you run your businesses and how best to incorporate our entire community into a co-op or corporation, while keeping our individualized identities."

"Phillip will continue his studies as will his sisters; Libby is an artist and Dee will become a lawyer, enabling them to council their brother and king...when the time comes, in the many different facets of this community. Our plan then is for us, your king and queen to retire and abdicate the thrown, in twelve years, when we are both sixty years old and Phillip is thirty-three. In the meantime, Phillip will finish his studies and continue to work in some of your shops and studios, during the summer and train with us, his parents after he graduates. Phillip, with all of our help will build this community into its new earthly identity over these years, as well. Now that all of that has been explained, there is a ceremony we need to perform." Max said, as he and Liz walked up to their son and Phillip instinctively knelt before them.

Isabel, Michael and Tess stood with their right hands on his shoulders, witnessing the ceremony as a princess of Antar and the current royal counselors to the king and queen.

"Phillip Jeffery Evans, I ask you formally; do you wish to be named as my official heir, to become the next king of all Antarian people, at the proper time and to take on all the responsibilities and duties of that position and honor?" Max asked, taking the Oath of Birthright from Antar's historical records.

"I do so wish it, My Liege." Phillip replied, taking his response from the historical records, as well.

"Do you pledge to support and protect your liege lord...and your queen while they reign; while they live?" Liz asked, formally.

"I do so pledge to support, protect...honor and love..." Phil added. "...my liege lord and my queen, as long as they live." Phil replied.

"Then rise up." Max instructed as he and Liz placed their right hands over the left side of Phillip's chest.

"Receive the mark of Royal Heir on your robe and wear it in your heart, as well as on this cloth." Max said, as their hands glowed, before they removed them from his chest to show a gold emblem; the Antarian Royal Seal, but with a special symbol, which proclaimed him as the heir to the thrown.

Before Max and Liz could give into their emotions and hug their son, they turned to all of their people, to ask for their oath, as well.

"All Antarians and citizens of Airatan, do you pledge to support and honor your prince in his preparations towards his future position?" Max asked.

"We do so pledge." Everyone said firmly, yet happily.

Mason heard even the senior Evans couples; the Parkers, Valenties and Sam Jones give their pledge towards this young man and felt a profound sense of awe...and trepidation. Then he was listening again, as Max continued to speak.

"The Princesses Dee and Libby will receive their robes and take their vows when they turn twenty-one, in two years...unless something...happens and they must take their positions before they are meant to." Max explained.

With those words came the end of the ceremony and Max and Liz moved in to hug their son as did his aunts, uncles and friends. The crowds of ghostly spectators all broke out into applause and happy cheers for their royal family. Their thrown was secure with another generation ready to take its place; to lead all Antarians into a more prosperous and settled future.

After everyone settled down and the Connection was broken, the partygoers got ready to leave, after they made sure that Liz needed no help in cleaning up. Liz thanked them as her children and their friends made light work of neatening up the house; a few waves of their hands and everything was back in order.

'Now there's a talent I wouldn't mind learning.' Susan Nelson thought to herself, as she watched her two best friends speaking quietly, but urgently to each other. When they walked over to Phillip and Sue, she followed them.

"Well, that's a birthday party we'll never forget. I bet you won't either." Mason said.

"No sir, I won't forget this whole weekend as long as I live." Phillip replied.

"Well, we just wanted to wish you happy birthday again and say good night to our daughter, before we head up to Sam's house." Cheryl said.

"Of course, goodnight to all of you and thanks again for your generous gifts." Phil said, as he turned to Sue.

'They don't just want to say goodnight to you, Sue. I sense that they're worried, almost scared for you.' Phil warned in the split-second speed of sub-vocal speech.

'I know, don't worry, everything will be okay and I'll come by your room before I turn in.' Sue said.

"See you in a few minutes, Sue." Phil said out loud, as he let go of her hand.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Sue said, as she moved into the living room to speak to her parents.

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Son." Max said, as he and Liz came to stand by Phillip. "Better that they get their worries and their questions out in the open now."

"Sue is an intelligent young woman, who knows her own mind. She knows what and who she wants in her future." Liz assured him.

Part 23

September 14, 2031

Sue followed her parents and aunt into the Evans' living room.

"Mom, Dad, is something wrong? You've never needed privacy to tell me goodnight." Sue said.

"I guess we're just feeling a little overwhelmed." Cheryl told her daughter, while indicating that they all should take a seat.

"Why? I thought you liked and accepted the Evanses for whom and what they are?" Sue asked.

"We do, Sweetheart, we do." Mason assured his daughter. "Max and Liz are our good friends and they, their family and all of the people here are good, honest folk. We've seen how alike us they are and their differentness, as well and your mother and I are truly okay with that."

"Then what has you overwhelmed, Mom, Daddy?" Sue asked, confused.

"We're worried about you...and Phillip, Suzie." Cheryl said.

"Why? Phillip is wonderful, he..."

"He is an alien prince, who will one day follow in his father's footsteps and become king of an alien race." Mason came to the point.

"We see how close you are to Phillip and we are torn between wanting to see you happily married to this fine, young man you are in love with." Cheryl paused on a questioning note and Sue nodded, smiling shyly. "We want to see you happily married to him, but we are also worried about your future with him. You would become the queen of a people who seem to take their royalty very seriously, unlike any other country on Earth does, anymore."

"There would be so much responsibility, which comes with that position; are you ready for that, to help Phillip when it lands on his shoulders?" Mason asked. "What about your dream of becoming a molecular biologist; would you be able to do both and raise a family?"

"Max has told us that they are part of an interplanetary alliance. What if their enemies attack Earth?" Cheryl asked, wringing her hands.

"We're just worried about you, Suzie. We love you and want you to be safe and happy, living the kind of life you want." Mason finished.

"I love you too, all three of you and I do understand that all of this might be a lot to take in...That ceremony this evening was...unexpected, incredibly moving and disconcerting at the same time. It also made me face Phillip's...true nature, as well and what my life with him might be like. I have the same questions you have, but I think that I have some answers, as well."

"What are they, Suzie?" Aunt Susan asked, encouragingly.

"I look at how hard both of you have worked at your careers. You put in an insane amount of hours, when you're shooting a movie; then there's the lack of privacy and the stress of having to deal with people like Niko on a daily basis. But you love acting and so you work those long hours and make those sacrifices."

"Phillip has told me about how hard his parents have worked too. Mr. Evans would be a lawyer and Mrs. Evans would be a molecular biologist...during the day; come home and be wonderful parents, spending their evenings and weekends with their family and then quite often work late at night, being a king and queen, helping their people. But they love it and so they do it. And the fact that their people are so serious about their royal family; so supportive and loyal has made it all worthwhile for them. Phillip says that they have never regretted all the work."

"Anything important is worth the hard work. I've learned that through being on the swim team; studying all the hours I do, to earn my degree. Phillip is very important to me; I love him, so any of this would be worth being with him."

"As far as the worry of an attack from outer space; that's the same worry we all live with here on Earth, with the threat of nuclear war or terrorism. You've taught me not to just stand on the sidelines, but to take a stand and take part in trying to make this a better world to live in. Maybe by becoming the queen of an alien race; having a seat on an interplanetary council, I can help keep the peace, or help stop an attack on my planet." Sue had been serious and earnest up until then, but now she paused and grinned. "Anyway, none of this may ever happen. I believe that Phillip loves me, but neither of us has said anything to the other about how we feel. Maybe it's time for that to change." Sue said the last, thoughtfully.

"How did you become such a wise and thoughtful person, at your age? I know most of that didn't come from us." Mason asked, almost in awe of the young woman his little girl had become.

"You're wrong, Daddy. An awful lot of who I am comes from you and Mom and Aunt Susan." She said, as they all converged for a group-hug and a few tears.

"Well that Phillip of yours had better love you or he isn't the wise and thoughtful young man I think he is; who would be the perfect match for my wonderful daughter." Cheryl said.

"Well I feel better now that all of you have discussed your worries. Shall we go and bid our hosts good night?" Susan asked.

"Yes, they must be wondering what we're doing in here." Cheryl smiled, as they all walked toward the family room and their friends.

"The four of you take your goodnights seriously!" Liz smiled. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is fine now. We did have some...concerns, which we needed to speak to Sue about, but she was able to help us lay them aside." Mason explained.

"Well, if your concerns ever point in our direction, I hope you know that you can ask us any questions that you need to." Max said and his friends smiled and nodded.

"Actually, before you go, we wanted to tell you about an idea we've had for some late-night entertainment." Liz said. "Phil told us that you know about Sue's seeing "something", that night, so long ago. We were wondering if you'd like to come and see what she saw."

"Uh yeah, sure, but what did she see?" Mason asked, cautiously.

"We teach our children how to use their powers as we teach them how to read and write. But they like to get together and try out their gifts with their friends. There is a clearing nearby, where they like to go, shortly after sunset. These activities are closely monitored and there have never been any accidents, but it gives the kids a chance to do some pretty neat stuff. Sue followed Phillip that night, when he went to the clearing for the first time with some older friends."

"Wow that sounds intriguing, I'd love to go!" Susan piped up.

"Yes, so would we." Cheryl said, with more enthusiasm than her husband had used.

"Great, why don't you go home and change into some more comfortable, warmer clothes and then Sam will bring you down when you're ready?" Everyone agreed to this and Mason, Cheryl and Susan left.

"Why don't we change and I'll take you to the clearing when you're ready. We won't want to go as a big group, tromping through the woods. Mom and Dad will split us up anyway." Phillip suggested.

"Okay, let's do that." Sue agreed, happily.

A short while later, Sue heard a tapping on the window, in her room. She smiled, walked over to the window and drew back the curtains. Phillip stood outside, as she had hoped he would, beckoning her to slide out the window, as she had done, so many years ago. She opened the window, slid out and took Phil's hand, as he guided her on their way.

When Sam brought his three guests back down to the Evans' house, Max did indeed split them up, saying that a large group would only attract the kids' attention and they did not want to disturb their fun by letting them know that a bunch of grown-ups were watching. Max took Mason, Liz took Cheryl and Sam volunteered to take Susan. They headed out to find their own, separate spots, from which to watch the kids.

Max and Mason and Liz and Cheryl reached their spots and were quickly filled with awe and wonder as they watched the children make fireworks out of rocks and ghostly images float in the air. Max and Liz had come to the clearing many times, but they never tired of watching a new generation of Antarian children learn how to use their gifts and have fun using them, as well.

Phil and Sue found their spot. Phil put his arms around Sue, as she stood in front of him, snuggled up against him; her head tucked under his chin. They were connected, so that they could ohh and ahh, silently. As they watched though, Sue could feel Phil's questioning thoughts and concerns, about what had gone on earlier in the living room. Sue told him; sharing her memories with him. When she finished, Phil turned her around in his arms, so that she was facing him.

'You're right; it is way past time that we tell each other how we really feel about each other.' Phil said, sub-vocally. 'I've wanted to tell you, since the first day I met you; after your swim-team practice. But I'm glad I didn't tell you then how attracted I was to you and how something about you was drawing me to you. I'm glad I didn't tell you then, because you weren't ready to hear those words...and because my feelings towards you have grown so much, as I have gotten to know you; how special you are; intelligent, sweet, strong, caring, brave and just plane beautiful, inside and out. We've known each other for only three weeks, but I've fallen in love with you, Susan Elizabeth Blair.' Phil kissed her sweetly, cherishing every touch, every taste.

'Oh Phil.' Sue groaned, sub-vocally, as they came up for air and she was able to think again. 'I've fallen in love with you too. I used to watch you from afar, but thought that you would never notice anyone like me. And then we met and you were so kind and gentle. You knew just how to act to make me feel safe with you; open up to you, feel confident and beautiful whenever I was with you. That day we played together, when we were seven years old, was one of the happiest days of my life until I met you again, three weeks ago. And knowing that you're that little boy, all grown up only increases our connection and my love for you. You are the one who is special; your heritage, your birthright, your kindness, intelligence and your gentle strength. You are a true gentle-man and a prince among men.'

They kissed again, holding tight to each other. Once again, they moved apart just enough so that they could look into each other's eyes.

'That's what your parents are worried about, isn't it? That I'm an alien prince.' Phil asked, needing to know.

'They're just a little overwhelmed. That birthright ceremony was...something else! They were worried that if we were to...marry...' Phil could see Sue blushing, even in the scant moonlight. 'If I became your queen...I might not be able to follow my dream of becoming a molecular biologist. But I told them and I will tell you now, that you are very important to me and anything important is worth the hard work.' Sue looked deeply into Phil's eyes. 'Being with you is worth everything to me.'

'Oh Sue, how did I ever get to be so lucky as to have you in my life? It's you, who are worth anything. I will do everything in my power to make sure you get your dream and any other you might have. Sue, I don't have a ring, we're out in the middle of dark woods...' Phil fell to his knees in front of her. '...but I love you and want you in my life from this day forward...will you marry me and be my princess?'

Sue fell to her knees as well and took Phil's face in her hands.

'I don't need a ring or candlelight and it would make me the happiest woman in the world to marry you and be your princess, wife, lover and mother of your children!'

'Sue!' Was all Phil could groan out, before their lips met again.

They kissed and caressed until all of a sudden, an announcement came over the Connection, to all Airatan adults.

'Security alert: We have a tunneler; eastern most sector of the outer perimeter fence.'

"Oh man, that's just on the other side of the mountain!" Phil exclaimed, quietly, after both he and Sue had heard the announcement.

"If that's Niko, can I punch him out for interrupting us?" Sue asked, angrily.

"Sure, but then I get a turn, too." Phil said, through clenched teeth.

"Deal." Sue said, as they started running through the woods, their way lit by Phil's glowing hand.

A few minutes earlier, in another part of the woods.

Sam had led Susan through the woods, until they found a good spot to watch the kids, who had come to the clearing, that night. Sam had used the need to guide Susan through the dark woods, as an excuse to take her hand in his. As they watched, they oohed and ahhed quietly, not wanting to disturb the children. Susan took another quick glance up at Sam's handsome face and saw him gazing down at her; he had been doing the same thing for the last half hour. Sam took this chance to say to Susan what he had wanted to say to her all day.

"Susan, it seems a shame that you have to leave us tomorrow night. I know how much help you've been to Max, Liz, Mason and Cheryl. It's only right that you be here for the meeting with Niko, on Monday. Is there...any way you could call your library and tell them that you want to take a day off? I could fly you home, Monday night." Sam whispered all of this.

"Oh I'd like that too, but I don't want to be in the way. I'm sure everything's been planned out." Susan whispered back. She noticed how close together they were standing, so that they could hear each other. She could feel Sam's body heat and smell his clean, spicy scent and felt her pulse quicken in response.

"It's been planned out, yes, but there's always room for one more good friend." Sam whispered, his gaze locked on hers.

'Is he...is he saying that he would like the two of us to be friends?' Susan wondered.

"It would give the two of us a little more time to get acquainted." Sam said, as if he had read her mind.

"Alright, I'll call my director, at home, tomorrow. I have a lot of vacation-time to use up and there's not much happening in the library, this Monday." Susan looked up and saw Sam smiling down at her and found the courage to say. "You've been such a nice host to us and I'd like the chance to become better acquainted with you, too." Susan glanced back down, but Sam brought his index finger up under her chin and gently lifted her face so he could see her again.

"This has nothing to do with being a good host, Susan. This has everything to do with my being attracted to a very intriguing and lovely lady. Now don't get nervous, I don't seduce guests in my home, but I wanted to let you know what I feel. I hope that we can get to know each other over this weekend and...see each other after you go home. I could fly into LA, or you could come back here..."

"You...you would?" Susan asked, uncertainly and Sam nodded, smiling gently. "Me...me too." She replied softly and Sam's smile broadened into a grin.

He linked his arm through hers, companionably and they watched the show with a sense of wonder and some anticipation for where their new relationship might lead...until Sam's beeper vibrated at his waist and he received the security alert. He told Susan what was happening and then they headed towards the nearest tunnel, which would take them through the mountain and close to the section of fence, which was being breached.

Susan's thoughts were much like her goddaughter's, except she was wishing that she had remembered to bring a great, heavy medical textbook to hit Niko over the head with.

Sam and Susan reached the tunnel at the same time that Max, Mason, Liz, Cheryl, Philip and Sue did, along with many others. From the outer end of the tunnel, they could look down and using the Connection to enhance their senses, see where Niko was trying to tunnel under the fence.

"Alright, as much as I would love to go down and burry him within his own tunnel, let's keep this low-key. Those of us involved with that slime ball will stay up here, where we won't be tempted to strangle him. Our security people will go catch him and drive him back to Albuquerque; reminding him that the meeting is not until Monday morning." Max instructed.

The main group returned to the Evans' house, after Niko had been apprehended and taken away.

"I'm sorry your time at the clearing was ended so abruptly." Max apologized.

"That wasn't your fault, Max, so there's nothing for you to apologize for." Cheryl said.

"How did you know Niko was there? I didn't see any look-outs, posted on the mountain side, or anyone down where he was coming under the fence. Did the military leave "something" behind?" Susan asked, glancing over at Sam.

"No, but that isn't what we tell Niko. He thinks we're using some obsolete, yet highly technical military equipment to sense him." Sam answered, grinning. "These folks have something far better than we could have ever come up with." He said, cocking his thumb towards Max.

"The Connection allows a small part of each and every one of us to be on alert, at all times. That small part of each of us, combines with everyone else and our senses are amplified a thousand times. We can sense atmospheric changes, to tell when a storm is coming, hear any unusual sounds, such as a trespasser climbing over our fence, or a helicopter crash many miles away. We can also sense up and out into space, as well and tell when a spaceship is nearing Earth."

"Does that happen often; spaceships coming to Earth, I mean?" Cheryl asked.

"At least once a year, sometimes more often. Some of our people come to visit or move here permanently. Sometimes Alliance Council members come to see Liz and me; in fact one will be arriving in two weeks." Max explained and grinned at his son, who was grinning back at him.

"That is so cool!" Susan exclaimed. "I would love to be here and see Niko's expression if he saw a flying saucer land here in the valley...or do they beam their passengers down?"

"They come in cloaked and land." Liz told her.

"Be here in two weeks and you may get your wish, Susan. That's when we're going to spring our plan on Niko and any of his colleagues, who're still with him." Max said.

"You can count on me being here for that. I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Susan grinned.

"Well after all that excitement, maybe we should all try to get some shut-eye." Sam suggested.

'Phil, should we tell them our news, now?' Sue asked.

'No, why don't we wait until tomorrow. I'd like to dream and fantasize about our being engaged for at least this, one night!' Phil answered.

"Good idea, Sam." Mason said, looking over to where his daughter was standing in the arms of Phillip Evans.

"Goodnight, Suzie." He called.

"Goodnight, Dad, Mom, Aunt Susan." Sue said, while all the time gazing into Phillip's eyes.

"Goodnight Phillip." Sue leaned in and kissed him. 'I love you.' she said, silently.

"Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Blair, Aunt Susan. Thank you for coming for my birthday." Phillip managed to tear his lips away from Sue's, long enough to politely speak to her family, before turning back to Sue. "This has been my best birthday, ever!" Phil went back to kissing Sue, even as everyone watched, until Max and Liz guided their guests out the front door, leaving them alone in the family room. Dee and Libby were already in their rooms. Phil gently guided Sue towards his sister's room and reluctantly let her out of his arms to go inside.

"You'd better go, while I can still let you. The quicker we fall asleep, the sooner we can be together again, tomorrow morning." Phil told Sue, after giving her one, last, quick kiss and then all but shoving her through the bedroom door.

"I love you." Phil said, just before the door shut and he went into his own room to toss and turn, before finally falling asleep and dreaming of Sue and their future together.

Early the next morning, Sam came into his living room, to find Susan already there. She had borrowed his binoculars and used them every once in a while, as he watched, but mostly, she stood still, with her eyes closed, by an open window. Sam walked over to her, purposely making more noise than usual, so that he wouldn't startle her.

"Good morning." He said, softly.

Susan held up a finger to say 'just a minute', as she squeezed her eyes closed ad seemed to listen intently. A moment later she relaxed and opened her eyes, smiling.

"Sorry about that. I was trying to pinpoint a certain bird-call and identify it, but I couldn't."

"You're a bird watcher?" Sam asked, happy to find a common interest between them.

"Yes, but more than that, I am a bird-listener. I know the bird calls of hundreds of species. It's easier to hear a bird's song, in woods, than to see the bird who is singing, don't you agree?"

"Yes, of course. I never really thought about it, but that's what I do as well. I hear a bird call and then I look for the bird." Sam replied. "How did you sleep after last night's excitement?"

"It took a little while, but I finally dropped off." Sue answered.

"But you're an early riser, like me. Would you like some more coffee?" Sam asked, noticing that her horse-mug was empty. Apparently Susan had made a pot, when she got up. He was happy that she was using his anonymous gift to her.

"That would be great, thanks." Susan said, smiling, shyly.

"How about I make us a quick breakfast and then we can go for our ride?" Sam suggested.

"Yes please. What can I do to help?" Susan asked.

Sam told her what he was gong to make and suggested what she could do to help. They worked together companionably and Susan was happy to realize how relaxed she was with Sam. They sat down to eat breakfast, continuing their conversation about bird watching. When they finished their food, Sam left the rest of the food they had made, in the oven for Mason and Cheryl and left them a note, telling them where they were going.

Sam and Susan took the elevator down and then walked over to a small stable and paddock, she hadn't noticed before. Sticking their heads out of their Dutch-doors, into the aisle-way were a mare and a gelding.

"This is Sally; she'll be your horse." Sam introduced them. "And this is Sunny." He patted the male's glossy neck.

"Well hello there, Sally; aren't you a lovely lady?" Susan whispered other sweet words to her mount as Sam went to the tack-room and brought out Sally's saddle and bridle, before going back in for Sunny's tack, as well.

"Thanks." Susan said, as she opened the half-door to Sally's stall and went in to draw the mare out into the aisle, where she would have room to saddle her. While she had been readying her horse, Susan had noticed how much the horse on her mug, looked like Sally, even to the uniquely-shaped blaze on her forehead. 'Interesting.' She thought to herself, as the two of them led their horses out of the stable, mounted them and rode off.

Phillip and Sue started their day together, early as well. They planned to drive all over the valley, so that Phillip could show her all the lovely views and introduce her to some of his friends and artisans in the valley. As they spent the day together around Airatan, the younger couple would catch sight of Sam and Susan as they rode their way around the upper trails of the valley.

"That was so sweet; seeing Sam and Aunt Susan having a pick-nick lunch together." Sue sighed, happily, as they snuck back the way that they had come, before spotting the older couple, talking and eating together on a bright, checkered blanket. Sue and Phil didn't want to intrude on their friend's private moment.

"Yeah, I'm glad that Sam was able to meet such a nice lady as your Aunt Susan. I'll be really happy for them if a further relationship comes out of this chance meeting." Phil said.

Phillip and Sue had decided not to tell anyone about their engagement, until Phil was at least able to get Sue a ring. He would, of course, have to speak to her parents, as well as his own, but for now, their new relationship was too new and magical for them to share, just yet.

They spent the day together, sneaking kisses, in between meeting Phil's friends and seeing the sights. That evening, they said goodbye to their parents and Aunt Susan, who was staying an extra day and climbed aboard the Lear-jet with Dee and Amy, to fly back to Cambridge.

"Hey, what is that mark, at the base of the V, on the tail of the plane; it wasn't there a minute ago, I'm certain." Susan said, as she pointed up at the plane from a safe distance. All the parents had come to the landing strip to see the kids off.

"That's the Antarian symbol for the royal heir." Max sighed, as he explained. "Our pilots like to indicate when Liz and I are on board their plane. They make two golden, interlocking circlets appear at the base of the V, whenever we fly somewhere. I guess Johann is going to do the same thing for Phillip now that he's my official heir."

"Sometimes it's embarrassing, how much our people love us and do special things for us." Liz added.

"But really sweet, as well." Cheryl said, thinking of her daughter. Would there be a special symbol for her, if she married Phillip, some day?"

After the plane took off, the adults drove back to the Evans' house to finalize their plans for the next day when they would meet with Niko Giuliani.

Was It A Dream? Part 24

At 8:55 a.m., on Monday, September 16th, three vehicles drove down the road towards the tunnel entrance of Airatan, New Mexico. Max, Mason and Eric Petersen were behind the wheel of each. As they drew up to the entrance and stopped, they could see seven people standing outside the town gates. At precisely nine o'clock, Max opened the gates and let the reporters in.

"Good morning, welcome to Airatan, New Mexico. I am Max Evans, mayor of this town and these are my friends, Mason Blair and Eric Petersen." Four of the seven reporters were taking still pictures or videos.

"Mr. Evans, I'm Niko Giuliani and these are my associates; Mr. Hudson, Mr. Target, Ms. Sears, Mr. Marshall, Mr. McDonald and Mrs. Penny."

He gave the name of each person's newspaper and mentioned at that time that he did not actually know Mr. Hudson, as he had been sent by his supervisor, whom Niko had called, asking for help. Eric was checking them all out on his palm-unit and confirmed that they were who they said they were and that all of their newspapers were small and local, rather than large and national.

"Do you always lock your citizens in, within these gates and barbed-wire fences, Mr. Evans?" One reporter asked right away, sticking her mike into Max's face, but Max gently pushed it away before answering.

"Our gates can be opened by anyone on the inside, Ms. Sears. It is certain people on the outside, we wish to keep out. Mr. Giuliani has not been following the rules and has been trying to trespass on our private property, to sneak into our town, for a week now."

"Maybe you wouldn't call it sneaking if you didn't have something to hide." Ms. Sears persisted.

"I define sneaking as trying to gain access to this town through any other means than walking through the open gates, Ms. Sears. The military left behind their fences and barbed wire, Mr. Giuliani has tried going through them, over them and under them. I call that sneaking and if I weren't the generous and patient man that I am, he would no longer be a part of your little press-corps. He gets one more chance and then he's out." Max said sternly, looking directly at Niko.

"If you'll all put your equipment into the back of our vehicles and take places yourselves, we'll drive you over to the clinic, where the blood tests will be run." Mason said, as he stepped forward to stand next to Max.

The reporters did as they were told and they were soon on their way to the clinic. When they arrived at the medical facility, Max gave the reporters a quick tour. He was proud of the small, yet well equipped and staffed dispensary. Antarians could not heal or cure everything and sometimes they required medical help, as well. They ended their tour in the laboratory, where the blood samples would be drawn and the tests would be run. Max let Ruth, the medical technologist show the reporters how all of the equipment had been sterilized and that they were all empty and waiting to process Mason and Max's blood.

"If you two gentlemen will have a seat, I'll draw your blood." Ruth said.

"Hey I thought your wives were going to have their blood tested as well." Niko said.

"We were hoping that by showing you that Mason and I are not related, you would believe us when we say that our wives are also not related to each other." Max said.

"It's not that we don't believe you, Mr. Evans, but that we would like to see proof." Mr. Hudson said, apologetically.

"Very well, I'll give them a call and ask them to come here; it will only take a few minutes for them to arrive." Max went to a phone on the counter and called Liz and Cheryl. A few minutes later, the ladies walked into the lab.

"Why don't we draw the blood by couples; Mr. and Mrs. Evans, if you would sit in these chairs, please, I'll draw yours first." Ruth said.

To the reporters, the whole procedure was pretty boring. The blood was drawn and placed into the various pieces of lab equipment. A while later, the results were finished and Ruth and Dr. Wang; the chief physician on staff, explained them.

"These tests show conclusively that Max Evans and Mason Blair; and Liz Evans and Cheryl Blair are in no way related. Their identical appearances are just chance."

"Thank you, Ruth and Dr. Wang." Max said and then turned back to the reporters, who all had copies of the reports in their hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, do you accept these reports and the word of these medical practitioners?" All of the reporters nodded their heads, reluctantly. They had watched everything carefully and they could not see how any of the results could have been falsified.

"Very well then, let me take you on a tour of the rest of our town."

Max, Liz, Mason, Cheryl and Eric herded the reporters out of the lab and out of the clinic. A few moments later, when they were sure that the coast was clear, all of the rest of their friends and family, who had been watching from the back of the lab, popped back into visibility. Everyone was talking and laughing at once.

"Alex, my wonderful, loving, sweet and sexy husband; if you had gotten us caught with your clowning around, I would have killed you there on the spot!" Isabel yelled at her beloved mate, while at the same time, trying not to laugh hysterically.

Flashback

All of the gang, including Liz, Cheryl and Doug Maisels, were waiting around in the lab for the reporters to arrive.

"All right everyone, they're on their way. Step into the back of the lab, I don't want any of them, bumping into any of you, while I give them a tour." Ruth said.

"Doug, do you have a good view of the room?" Liz asked their resident mind-warper.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Mrs. Evans; especially since I won't be mind-warping Miss Ruth and she can see for herself where she is sticking those needles. I just have to make the reporters see what we want them to see and that will be easy."

"What are you going to do about their cameras and video recorders?" Cheryl asked.

"All of their equipment has been malfunctioning on and off, all morning. Through mechanical or electronic breakdown, none of them will get pictures of this procedure; too bad that the equipment failures won't be discovered until later." Michael said, grinning.

"They're in the building." Ruth warned. "Doug, mind-warp me first, so I know what they will see when they come in and then take it off, so I can see what I'm really doing."

"Yes ma'am." Doug said. "I've isolated all of the reporters and Miss Ruth. What do you see now?"

"I see my empty lab." Ruth told him. "Alright, everyone communicates sub-vocally from now on. Don't make a sound. Doug, take the mind-warp off me...thank you."

Ruth showed the reporters how all of the equipment had been sterilized and that they were all empty and waiting to process Mason and Max's blood.

'Alex, you come forward now and sit in the right chair; Mr. Blair knows to sit in the left one.' Ruth instructed, silently.

"If you two gentlemen will have a seat, I'll draw your blood." Ruth said, out loud.

"Hey I thought your wives were going to have their blood tested as well." Niko said.

"We were hoping that by showing you that Mason and I are not related, you would believe us when we say our wives are also not related to each other." Max said.

"It's not that we don't believe you, Mr. Evans, but that we would like to see proof." Mr. Hudson said, apologetically.

"Very well, I'll give them a call and ask them to come here; it will only take a few minutes for them to arrive."

Max called Liz's cell phone so that he would actually be speaking to her, should any of the reporters try to listen in. Doug was easily able to keep the mind-warp.

'Liz and Cheryl, walk out into the hall, wait three minutes and then walk back in as though you just arrived.' Max told Liz, sub-vocally and Cheryl heard through the connection she had with Liz, through their joined hands.

The two ladies did this, threading their way past the reporters, who were wondering around, looking at everything, unseen. One reporter was poking in the drawers, beside where Alex was sitting. Alex waved his hands in front of the reporter, but he didn't see Alex.

'I feel like a ghost. This is so spooky, they're looking right through me.' Alex said, silently. 'Hey guys, if I die and come back as a ghost, promise that you'll see me, don't look right through me, okay?'

'Alex!' Isabel screamed in a stage whisper. 'Please be quiet. Don't say things about your dying or coming back as a ghost.'

'Sorry Sweetheart.' Alex whispered across the room, to Isabel. 'What if I do this, you big, fat creep?' Alex whispered and then he brought his right hand up, perpendicular to his face, touched his thumb to his nose and wiggled his fingers at the oblivious reporter, as he also stuck out his tongue at the man. The whole group at the back of the lab cracked up with laughter and Doug started to struggle with his mind-warp.

'Would all of you please be quiet?' Max yelled, silently, while keeping a bland expression on his face. 'We are going to lose our mind-warp.'

Max casually walked across the room, until he stood by the invisible Doug. Then he put out his hand to touch the younger man's arm and transferred some of his energy to him. The group at the back had calmed down with only a trembling of their lips, or a sparkle in their eyes, to show that they were still laughing inside.

'Thanks, Mr. Evans.' Doug said. 'I have everything under control now.'

Just then, Liz and Cheryl walked into the lab. They had their facial expressions under control, but it was clear to Max and Mason, that they must have also seen what had just happened.

'Mr. Evans, just stay where you are, I'll make these people see what they need to see.' Doug instructed him, as Ruth told Max and Liz to sit in the chairs, first.

'I'm going to have to stick Max anyway, so that he looks like his blood has been drawn.' Ruth warned Doug, while the tests were being run. 'Cover me.' She said and Doug nodded.

She had Max sit down and quickly poked him with a small needle and then put a band-aid over the puncture.

'Thanks for remembering that detail, Ruth.' Max praised her.

'Glad to help.' Ruth smiled at her king.

A while later the results were finished and Ruth and Dr. Wang explained them.

"These tests show conclusively that Max Evans and Mason Blair; and Liz Evans and Cheryl Blair are in no way related. Their identical appearances are just chance."

"Thank you, Ruth and Dr. Wang." Max said and then turned back to the reporters, who all had copies of the reports in their hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, do you accept these reports and the word of these medical practitioners?" All of the reporters nodded their heads, reluctantly. They had watched everything carefully and they couldn't see how any of the results could have been falsified.

"Very well then, let me take you on a tour of the rest of our town."

Max, Liz, Mason, Cheryl and Eric herded the reporters out of the lab and out of the clinic.

End Flashback

Max, Liz, Mason, Cheryl and Eric took the reporters on a tour of the rest of the town, for the rest of the day. They had answered questions over lunch, pointed out their non-denominational church, the school, the library and the public pool. They took them by Olaus Petersen's office and the mostly retired architect showed them his plans for the town buildings and houses. Finally, the reporters were taken down into the underground facility. They were shown the hydroponics and mushroom farms, the community's classrooms and the artist studios, which had been built into some of the missile silos. Last, but not least, they took the reporters through one of the many small tunnels, which were cut through the mountain walls and gave access to the outside slopes and showed them the community's stone quarry. From there they were taken back to the small hotel, near the entrance tunnel and given rooms for the night.

"That's all there is to see in Airatan, New Mexico, ladies and gentlemen." Max said. "You are welcome to stay overnight in our hotel and then if you have any questions you can ask them over breakfast, tomorrow morning. I can't imagine that anything you've seen today is worth writing about, but I hope you have enjoyed your tour of our little town and don't feel as though your time has been wasted. You might like to come back next summer for our art fair. With that, I'll say goodnight." Max and his friends left the reporters in the capable hands of the hotel owner and his wife.

"Have them watched." Max told Michael and the rest of their volunteer security team, who had met him outside of the tourist area of town. "Don't intercept unless they get too close to someone's home."

Max turned to Isabel and the group with her.

"I need you all to dream-walk those reporters; find out what they really thought of the tour and blood tests. Thanks a lot for all of your help, everyone." Max called out to the two groups.

At two o'clock that morning, Max and Liz were woken up by a call from Isabel.

'Max, something interesting has happened. Mr. Hudson, the proxy reporter for one of Niko's friends, is packing up and getting ready to leave, now, in the middle of the night. He's totally disgusted with Niko's idea and thinks this whole thing has been a waste of time.'

'This is great, Isabel!' Max exclaimed. 'We were waiting for just such an opening. Will you call Doug Maisels for me? Liz and I are on our way to his house.'

'Why do I have to be the one to wake him up?' Isabel cried, silently.

'He won't mind being woken up so much, if it's his lovely princess who's doing it.' Max answered, as he and Liz jumped out of bed and put some clothes on.

'Oh you!' Isabel exclaimed, before she broke the link.

A few minutes later, Max and Liz walked up to Doug's front door, which was already open for them.

"Doug, sorry to wake you up in the middle of the night, but something's come up and we have the perfect opportunity to take advantage of it, if we act quickly."

"What's happened, sir?" Doug asked.

"One of the reporters, Mr. Hudson, is leaving. What we'd like you to do is take his place. We need someone on the inside so that we can find out what Niko and the others are up to. Here's a new cell-phone. Give the others the number to this phone, so they call you and not the real Mr. Hudson. Will you do this for us, Doug?" Max asked. Doug only thought for a moment.

"Yes, sir, I can do that, I'll be happy to." Doug said. "I just wait for them to call me?"

"For the time being." Max said. "You know the plan our son, Phillip came up with and what we want to do to Niko in the end."

"Yes sir!" Doug said, grinning.

"Then just keep us informed of any developments, okay?"

"Yes sir."

"Good man. We'll let you get back to sleep, now." Max said and he took Liz by the hand and they left Doug's house.

The next morning, the reporters met in private, over breakfast. Unknown to them, Doug was there, mind-warping them and playing the part of Mr. Hudson.

"This whole exercise has been a waste of time, Giuliani." Ms. Sears complained. "You promised us that we would come away from this meeting with a huge story, but all we got was a boring tour of a simple artist community."

All of these reporters, except for the real Mr. Hudson, had been desperate enough for a big scoop to believe Niko Giuliani, when he called them and claimed to have found an entire town of aliens. They all wanted to leave their small, local papers for the large, national papers or international news agencies. Niko was also desperate to write a big story, which would bring him fame and fortune and shot-put him out of his dumpy job with the tabloid.

"Is that all you think we have here, just another small town?" Niko asked, sarcastically. "No, that whole act they put on yesterday was just that; a play, put on for our benefit so that we wouldn't find out what they're hiding here. Well, I don't buy it and I'm going to prove it one way or another."

"What's your plan?" Mr. McDonald asked, getting sucked into Niko's schemes again.

"Three of us should stay in town, at this hotel, right out in the open. You can say that you're writing stories, featuring their local artists for your paper's art section. Maybe someone will relax and let something slip. The rest of us will keep trying to sneak in during the night. There are 13,000 and 15,000 foot high peaks nearby; we can set up long range equipment on top of them, maybe get a good enough vantage-point to see inside these mountain walls." Niko explained.

"They seemed in a rush to have us come out here. I bet that they're planning to do something, pretty soon, that they don't want anyone to see." McDonald said, optimistically.

"I could be one who stays." Mrs. Penny said. "I've actually worked for the art section of my paper, so at least I'll be able to ask the right questions."

"Me too." Ms. Sears said. "Which of you guys are going to stay?"

All of the men looked reluctant. Doug waited a moment more and then in his guise as Mr. Hudson, reluctantly agreed to stay as well, saying that he had covered fashion for his paper.

"But the rest of you had better keep the three of us informed." Mr. Hudson said.

"And vice-versa." Niko said. "Here, let's give each other our cards with our cell-phone numbers on them." He suggested, bringing out his business cards and passing them around. The other reporters did the same. Doug blew out a quiet sigh of relief that someone else had suggested swapping numbers.

"So, Hudson, Penny and Sears, you make arrangements to stay longer and the rest of us will get out of here." Mr. Marshall said.

"We know what to do, but let's make sure that we cover different artists and separate parts of the valley, so that it all looks above-board and innocent." Ms. Sears suggested.

"We can meet here for dinner each night and fill each other in." Mrs. Penny agreed.

Doug nodded, agreeably, happy that he could do his real job, managing his parent's fabric business during the day and would only have to mind-warp his two "colleagues" in the evening.

"Well, let's get cracking. It'll take time to find an artist willing to talk to us." Doug said and the group broke up. 'The next two weeks were going to be interesting indeed.' He thought.

Was It A Dream? Part 25

Early the next week, Mason Blair received a phone call at his office.

"Hello?" He answered the phone.

"Mason; it's John Giuliani."

"Sneaky John, how are you? I'm glad you finally called me back."

"Sorry about that; your message got lost in the shuffle, while I was working overseas. What's going on with my son, Niko?"

Mason filled John in on what had been happening, including the meeting in Airatan, New Mexico.

"But obviously my son and his...associates didn't believe what they saw, since they're still watching Max Evans and his town." He said.

"Yeah, three of them are staying in town, pretending to write articles about the local artists and we've found out that the other four, Niko included, have taken up vantage points on higher peaks, nearby. Who knows what these people think they're going to see." Mason replied.

"I'm surprised that you and Mr. Evans haven't taken Niko to court, by now." John said. "I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"We figure that doing that would only make the situation worse."

"Well, I'll get a flight out to Albuquerque tomorrow and go haul my son back to L.A. I feel responsible for his actions. His mother and I did our best to raise him, but we obviously didn't do a good enough job; especially me. I was always traveling; or working long hours at the studio. I wasn't there for him when he needed me." John said, sadly.

"He wants to be you, but doesn't have a fraction of your talent. He's used all the wrong methods to get as far as he has, so far. That isn't your fault. He's a big boy now; he has to take responsibility for his own actions...And we'd rather you not come to take him back to L.A...just yet."

Mason gave John a censored version of their plans for his son.

"Will you be...okay with our plan, John? It might be hard for you to see it happen, but if he continues this delusion of his, he's going to fall for our plan and it will be his own fault."

"No, no, I'm okay with the plan. Crushing him in court might be kinder than what you have planned, but your way should be a great deal more effective and then I'll be there to take him permanently out of your hair. You're right; if he's delusional enough to fall for this, he deserves what he gets. Imagine, aliens living among us for Pete's sake!" John was laughing as they said good bye and hung up.

On Tuesday night, Phillip and Sue decided to contact Max and Liz and announce their engagement. They were delaying calling Mason and Cheryl until Phil had found the perfect engagement ring for Sue, but classes and studying had kept him too busy to do any shopping.

'Mom, Dad?' Phil called out sub-vocally, as he and Sue linked into the Connection.

'Here we are.' Liz and Max came into the family room of their home.

'It's only been two days since we last saw you; what's up?' Max asked.

'Mom, Dad; I asked Sue to marry me...and she said yes!' Phil told his parents, grinning.

'Oh my goodness, that is wonderful!' Liz exclaimed, as she launched herself at her tall, handsome son and hugged him tight and then turned to hug her new daughter, as well. 'I'm so happy for both of you!' She told Sue.

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans.' Sue said, grinning in her relief at her soon-to-be-mother-in-law's response.

'That is great news, you two, but are you sure? You've known each other only four weeks.' Max made himself be the voice of reason, even though he could see the love flowing between his son and this lovely young woman. 'Did the birthright ceremony have anything to do with your decision?' Max looked at Sue.

'Dad!' Phil protested.

'Well, sort of, but not in the way you're thinking, Mr. Evans.' Sue said. 'The ceremony made my parents very nervous about my future...if it was going to be spent with Phil. It was the first time I'd really needed to verbalize my feelings for him and it was then that I realized how much I love your son and that no matter what happened in the future; all the hard work, the responsibility of standing by his side; everything was worth it, as long as I am with him. That's what I told my parents and then what I told him, out in the woods, by the clearing...after he had told me that...he loves me too.'

'We were going to take our relationship more slowly than that, but this weekend sort of...accelerated things a little, but I already knew that I loved Sue and wanted to marry her.' Phil said and Max relaxed a little.

'Oh man, Sue, Phil...I am so sorry that I had to ask that. Sue, please believe me when I tell you that I know you're not the kind of girl to...chase after a crown. It's just that this last weekend was pretty intense and I worried that the two of you might have become...carried away on all of the emotions. Please forgive me, both of you.'

'You big dope.' Liz playfully punched Max on his arm. 'I could see that this day would come, sometime soon, the first time Phil introduced Sue to us, over the Connection.'

'It's perfectly all right, Mr. and Mrs. Evans.' Sue said, as she looked at a still steamed Phillip and then back to Max. 'I understand that in your position...as king...you have to ask some tough questions; look at people and situations more deeply and from different angles. I just hope that I can be as good a partner to Phillip as Mrs. Evans has been to you; and that I will someday be as wise and strong.'

'Susan Blair, you are already well on your way to being both of those things.' Max told her seriously. 'We...I couldn't have hoped for a better person to be our son's mate and...my new daughter.' He opened his arms a little and Sue melted his father's heart by launching herself into them for a long, tight hug.

'I don't know, I think I have a ways to go before I could ever be as smart and kind and wonderful as the two of you are. Do you think you could train me to be...Phillip's queen, as you are going to train him to be king?'

'Of course, we'll help you and advise you more than you can stand!' Liz said, as she came over and put a gentle hand on Sue's shoulder.

'I bet you will!' Phil said, smiling at his parents, silently letting them know that he forgave his father for acting like...a king and everyone laughed away their tension.

'When were you planning the big day to be? Will you have your wedding here, in Airatan?' Liz asked.

'Yes, both of us would like that very much and we were hoping to marry at Christmas. We both agree that we can't wait until we graduate in the spring.' Phil said.

'But we thought a three-month engagement would be long enough to arrange everything and be a seemly amount of time, so it doesn't look as though we are rushing things...too much...?' Sue asked.

'That should be enough time.' Liz agreed.

'We've talked about where we're going to live, after we're married and we thought that we'd move into the attic room of our house in Cambridge, if that's all right.' Phil said.

'Phil showed me the extra room you have up there for when you have more kids attending MIT or Harvard, than you have now. It looks so nice and cozy, tucked in under the eaves and won't take Phil away from his home and friends and his link to the two of you.'

'Since we're graduating in the spring, we didn't want to commit ourselves to an apartment lease...since neither of us are sure whether we will stay at Harvard...or apply to the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque.' Phil told his parents.

'Not stay at Harvard for your Masters; your Doctorate, Sue?' Liz asked.

'Well, I'm concerned about how much I need to learn from you...about following in your footsteps, as well as learning how to turn Airatan into a successful, profitable corporation. I thought that if we attended UNMA, I would have more time to learn; to train.' Phil explained.

'It's your decision of course, but I think the two of you should stay at Harvard for at least your Master's degrees. Sue might then like to apply for the Ph.D. program at UNMA, which is quite excellent, if I do say so myself.' Liz smiled, as she was one of the chief professors in that very program.

'That's a good idea, Mom. We'll think about it.' Phil said, as he glanced to Sue and tightened his arms around her.

'Have you called your parents yet, Sue?'

'Not yet; Phil wants to wait until he has his ring on my finger.'

'And we haven't had the chance to go shopping, to find something that Sue really likes.' Phil said.

'Ahh.' Liz nodded. 'Well, don't wait too long; I'm sure your parents will love hearing your news and Cheryl will want to help you find your dress, Sue. And if I can be of any help, don't hesitate to call.'

'Well, actually, I would like to wear a ceremonial robe, like Phil has.' Sue said. 'Phil told me all about their significance and I love the idea of creating our own, individual design!'

'I'd be happy to sew yours for you. I could take your measurements now, or the next time you come out to Airatan.' Liz suggested.

'Phil, would you mind us doing the measuring now? I'm so excited about this!' Sue asked.

'No of course not; or maybe...I could take your measurements and then tell Mom what they are.' Phil teased.

'Oh no you don't; no "measurement taking" until after the wedding!' Liz chuckled. 'Let me get my tape and I'll be right back.'

'Perhaps you two gentlemen could turn around and give us a few minutes of privacy.' Liz suggested when she came back.

'Come over here, Phil and tell me how your classes are going.' Max said.

As Liz took Sue's measurements, she realized that they were really the same size and build, except that Sue was a little taller.

'You know, Sue, I still have my wedding dress, which was first Phillip's grandmother's dress. It looked lovely, even with my ceremonial robe covering it...perhaps you'd like to take a look at it sometime. But if you want a new dress of your own, or you want to wear your mother's dress, I would perfectly understand.'

'Oh, Mrs. Evans, thank you! I'd love to see your dress, at least.' Sue said.

'When you come next time, I'll bring it out for you.' Liz said, as she finished taking her measurements. 'There, all done. You may turn around now, gentlemen.' She told Max and Phil.

'Thanks, Mom.' Phil said.

'It must be late at your end.' Max said to the kids.

'Yeah, we had better get going.' Phil said, as they all hugged each other goodnight.

'See you two in a week and a half.' Liz said, as they all broke their link.

Phil and Sue came out of their link as they were cuddled together on his bed.

"Mom's right, it is getting late; I had better drive you home...unless you'd like to stay here..." Phil suggested.

"I...don't think that would be safe." Sue said, as she got up off of the bed.

"You're right; it wouldn't be safe at all." Phil said, gazing intently into her beloved face.

He took her hand as they walked down the stairs. They took their coats out of the closet and Phil helped her on with hers.

"I remember the first time I brought you here and I had to stop myself from helping you off with your coat. You were so skittish back then." He remembered, as he hugged her from behind.

"And you made a point of telling me about how your people mate for life. I can't believe you felt that way about me way back then, we had only just met." Sue said, leaning back against him.

"There was something very strong; drawing me to you from the moment I met you, Suzie. I had to guard my feelings because I thought it would take so much longer to get you to open up to me, than it did."

"Mmmm, you were so gentle and then there was our shared history; finding out that you'd been that little boy, just blew all of my worries and fears away. Somehow I knew that the White Knight would never hurt me."

Sue turned in Phil's arms and kissed him, with all the love she had in her heart and he returned her kiss with just as much emotion.

"Oh brother, can't a guy come down for a bed-time snack, without being blinded by the sight of you two necking in the hallway?" Ed asked, in a half disgusted, half envious voice.

"We're going. I'm going to drive Sue home and then come right back." Phil told Ed, who nodded.

"I have a suggestion" Phil said, as they drove towards Sue's dorm.

"Oh?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to move into the attic room before our wedding. It would be your own room, but at least we could spend as much time together as possible and you could get used to living there." Phil said.

"I like that idea a lot, but what would my parents think?"

"Remind them that the girl's floor would be between my room and yours and that we've already made the decision to wait until our wedding night." Phil said.

"I think they'll draw more comfort from having your sister and two other friends separating us than counting on our resolve!" Sue said, smiling over at Phillip and then losing some of her smile as she saw her dorm, up ahead. "Could you help me move this weekend?"

"Absolutely." Phil took her hand in his and brought it up so that he could kiss her knuckles. "Wait there and I'll walk you to the door." He said, as he pulled over to the curb.

"No, let's just say goodnight here." Sue said. "Let me kiss your goodnight, here." And they moved into each other's arms, their shadows merging into one as in a few short months they would become one, in marriage.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart." Phil said, as he made himself pull away.

"Goodnight...Darling." That earned her another kiss, as Phillip realized that, that was the first time Sue had ever called him by an endearment.

"Go, go and don't call me by any more cute names, or we'll never get out of this car!" Phil said, as Sue solemnly got out of the car, shut the door and then called through the window.

"Bye...Sugar, Muffin..." She walked away from the car, but called over her shoulder..."teddy bear, lover-boy, cuddle-bun...!"

Phil drove home and was still grinning when he walked through the front door and up to his room.

TBC


	6. Parts 26 thru 30

Was It A Dream? Part 26-30 

Phillip and Sue got through the rest of the week; going to classes, spending time with their friends at the house, making plans for how to decorate Sue's attic room, just cuddling together and talking quietly, or studying in Phil's room; whether or not they were working on the same class materials or not, so that the weekend would be free.

First thing Saturday morning, Phillip drove over to Sue's dorm room, for the first and last time and helped her finish packing. They carried her clothes, her books, plants and a few art-posters down to his car and drove to her new home.

The attic room was big enough for three people to live in, with its own miniscule bathroom. Everyone in the house helped move the third bed, the second and third desks, with their chairs down to the basement, where they would be stored. Phil used his powers to combine the two twin beds into one large bed; Dee made the same modifications to the bedding and Amy helped Sue "paint" the walls a warm, pale yellow and the wood furniture a glossy white.

"Of course we'll make changes after our wedding to make this room ours, rather than just mine, but for now I want a bright, cheery room." Sue explained to Phil.

"You've made this a cheery place to be, if only by the fact that you are in it." Phil replied, as he kissed her nose. "Maybe we could keep these colors but bring in some Southwest accents; golds, oranges, some browns or we could go with bright, primary colors...Well, we have lots of time to think about how we both want our first home together, to look."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that...'our home'." Sue sighed, leaning into his side and hugging him around the waist.

"Me too, Suzie, me too." Phil said with a contented smile.

After lunch, Phil took Sue shopping for an engagement ring. They went through quite a few shops, but Sue just couldn't decide, so they took a break and drove over to the Grinding Stop, for 'lattés and spice cake.

"Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt, we wanted to tell you that Sue and I are engaged to be married!" Phil told the old proprietors of their favorite coffee house.

"Congratulations! So, have you been out shopping for wedding rings?" Mr. Schmidt asked.

"Yes but we're not having a lot of luck. They're all so lovely, I just can't decide."

"Well, don't rush your decision. You will be wearing those rings for many, many years. Rest here for a while and get your thoughts together before heading out again." Mrs. Schmidt advised.

"And don't worry about the bill..." Mr. Schmidt crumpled it up in his hand. "There isn't one." And with that, the older couple walked off, before Phil and Sue could even thank them.

"You know, Phil..." Sue said a while later, after enjoying their cake and coffee in companionable silence. "...I've been wondering if I'm an engagement ring-wearing kind of woman."

"What?" Phil exclaimed.

"I just don't wear rings, or a lot of jewelry, for that matter. What would you think if we both just wore our wedding bands?"

"Well...I guess...that would be all right...but I still think that you should have some kind of token, which tells people that you're an engaged woman." Phil said.

"What about you? Shouldn't you also have a token, which tells women that you're an engaged man?" Sue asked.

"Uh, well, okay; in that case, I have an idea. Next week when we go home again, why don't we perform the robbing and ring ceremony? Once our wedding bands are marked with our special symbol, you could wear mine on a chain, around your neck and I could do likewise with your ring."

"I like it! Then if some cute little number starts coming onto you and you're all alone, you can whip out my ring and tell her that you're taken!" Sue said, grinning.

"Right and you can do the same thing if some stud starts coming onto you." Phil clarified and they chuckled together as they agreed.

So, after their snack, Sue and Phil drove over to the jewelry warehouse and bought two, inexpensive wedding bands. They changed their minds about the chains though and bought a braided leather choker for Sue and a masculine leather thong for Phillip, on which to hang their rings and then drove home.

"Well, now that you're wearing my ring, kind of, I guess we should call your parents and your Aunt Susan." Phil said.

"Let's call Aunt Susan first." Sue suggested, Phil happily agreed and they decided to use the vid-phone.

"Hi, Aunt Susan." Sue greeted her godmother, when she came online.

"Suzie, Phil, hello! Sam come here, it's Suzie and Phil." Susan called to Sam Jones, who was off screen.

"Sam?" They both exclaimed when the older gentleman came to stand by Susan.

"Hello you two; now don't look at me like that. I'm booked in at a nearby hotel. This is all perfectly proper. The two of us just wanted to spend more time together after we met last weekend." Sam explained.

"That is so great, you two; we hoped you would hit it off!" Phil exclaimed.

"How about you young folks; how're you two getting along?" Susan asked.

"Actually, Aunt Susan, you might say that we are getting along very well...So well that Phil asked me to marry him and I Said YES!" Sue exclaimed, grinning excitedly.

"Oh that is so great. I am so happy for both of you!" Susan grinned back.

"Congratulations, you two; that is wonderful news!" Sam exclaimed.

"Let me see your ring, have you picked one out yet?" Susan asked.

"Well, actually, I decided against an engagement ring. We're both just going to wear wedding bands and we are both wearing each other's right now as tokens of our engagement." Both Sue and Phil showed off their rings.

"Are you going to perform the robe ceremony?" Sam asked.

"Yes, next weekend, actually. Mom's already sewing Sue her robe." Phil answered.

"What's this?" Susan asked and Phil and Sam explained the process to her.

"Oh how wonderful, to have your own mark, which symbolizes your love for each other. I can hardly wait to see the ceremony!" Susan exclaimed.

They chatted for a bit longer and then disconnected.

"Now to call your folks." Phil said, nervously.

"Don't worry, Phil, everything will be just fine. I'll be right here the whole time." Sue reassured him, as she input their address.

"Hi, Mom, is Dad there?" Sue asked when Cheryl came online.

"Hi, Sweetie, sure he's right here; is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is wonderful, Mom. We just have something we wanted to tell you both."

"Hi, Sue, what's up? Oh, hello, Phillip." Mason greeted his daughter and her boyfriend.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Blair." Phil started. "Sue and I wanted...I mean I wanted to tell you that...that I asked Sue to marry me and...and..."

"And I Said YES!" Sue finished for him and then launched herself into his arms.

"Um, Sue, um, Honey...a little control, please; remember your parents are watching." Phil said.

"I don't care who's watching; I want to shout it to the world. I LOVE PHILLIP EVANS AND I AM GOING TO BE HIS WIFE!" She twirled away from Phil, threw out her arms and yelled, until all of their friends came running into the room, clapping, laughing and grinning at the news, which they had already heard, of course, but did not mind hearing again.

"Oh well then, I guess there's no use in our asking if you're sure about your decision!" Mason and Cheryl were grinning at their daughter's utter happiness, as well as the look of adoration and love on the face of her intended.

"No, we are very sure, Mr. and Mrs. Blair. I love your daughter with all my heart and will do everything I can to keep her happy." Phil assured them.

"We know you will, Phillip. You're a good man, just like your father." Mason said.

"Will our Suzie be...your queen, then?" Cheryl asked and Phil looked lovingly into Sue's eyes as he answered.

"Yes, ma'am."

All of their friends broke out into cheers at hearing the affirmative again; they had been very happy when they had heard that Phil and Sue were getting married and that she would be their future queen. In the weeks they had known her, they had grown to love Sue as a sister and an old friend.

After the commotion calmed down, they explained about the robing ceremony, their Christmas wedding date and chatted for a few minutes more, before disconnecting.

"Oh well, that's done! Handling Niko is going to be a piece of cake, compared to making that call." Phil said, as he gathered Sue close.

That week after Sue moved into her attic room would go by quickly. All of the kids in the house would attend their classes and put an extra effort into their studies so that they could all fly back home to see Niko Giuliani's defeat. They all took his harassment of their royal family, as well as the way he had hurt Sue, personally.

That week started off though, when Sue came down from her room, Monday morning, to find that Phil had just come down too and was just setting up the coffee-maker.

"Good morning." Sue came up behind him and hugged him, while she buried her nose in his back, breathing in his clean, fresh scent.

"Good morning, Suzie." Phil stroked Sue's hands and arms, which encircled his waist and then managed to turn around within her embrace, lift her face up, which had buried itself into his chest, as he turned around and kissed her lingeringly.

"Mmm, what a wonderful way to start each day; seeing your sweet face and holding you in my arms." Phil said, happily, after they came up for air.

"Mmhm." Sue agreed. "Is the house always this quiet in the morning?" Sue asked, hopefully.

"We have fifteen to twenty minutes of quiet until the thundering hoard comes streaming down the stairs." Phil warned her.

"Rats! Maybe we should spend that quiet time having some coffee and eating a peaceful breakfast, then." Sue suggested.

"That's what I usually do...and we will...in just a minute." Phil said, before he moved in to kiss her again.

Several minutes later, they finally broke apart, breathless, but grinning at each other and then set about pouring out coffee, juice and cereal and sitting down to eat, one handed, as they were holding hands across the kitchen table, before their friends came down. Sue enjoyed the quiet time with Phillip as well as the boisterous, cheerful time with the others.

"Sue, do you think you could help me buy groceries, after classes this evening?" Phil asked.

"Sure." Sue said as they headed out the door to go to their separate classes.

"Great; I'll see you in class in a few hours." Phil said, as they shared an intense kiss goodbye.

That evening, as they each took a cart and worked their way down each aisle in the grocery store, Sue looked back over the day. Both she and Phil had put on their rings that morning, but Phil wore his tucked inside his shirt and she had hers, on her choker, but hidden by a turtleneck, until their special rings could be created that weekend. Sue had attended her morning classes as usual and then hurried to sit next to Phil in their shared lecture class. They had, had only a moment to give each other a kiss, before the professor had launched in on his speech. Then they had walked to their computer class, hand in hand and hip to hip, but they were kept busy, creating a computer program throughout all of that class. At the end, they had hugged briefly before going on to their afternoon classes. So now they were walking through the grocery store, steering their carts one handed, so that they could hold hands as they picked up the household's necessities and chatted about their day.

Sue remembered that this was how her parents found time to be together during their busy schedules; by doing all the chores and everyday activities, together. When you loved someone, you made time to be with him, even if it was while you made up beds with fresh sheets or weeded the garden. And Sue saw their future stretch out before her; a long, happy life, made up of many, small, contented moments like this, interspersed with the celebrations and special occasions...and all spent by Phillip's side. She turned her head, leaned over and kissed him and then wrapped her arm around his lean waist, as they happily rolled their grocery carts out to their car and prepared to take all of their groceries...home.

Was It A Dream? Part 27

Niko Giuliani had been spying on the valley of Airatan, New Mexico, from a dilapidated old shack, at the top of a nearby peak, for two weeks. He had put up with the whining and crappy attitudes of the other two, so-called reporters; Mr. Marshall and Mr. Target, until he had become sick and tired of their complaints and told them to get out. Once they were gone, he had called the other three losers, who had stayed down in the valley; Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Penney and Ms. Sears and told them to come take their former associates' places.

He was on edge; bored and restless, after a fruitless two weeks of watching that stupid, little town from this broken down shack. Even after seeing those mysterious lights, which bobbed and whirled their way around the valley, soon after sunset, each night, he was about to give up. But it was like that clown, Hudson said; they had put this much time and effort into this story, he couldn't let Blair and Evans win, by giving up. Mrs. Penney had left that morning and good riddance to her, he thought. He didn't need any of these losers, anyway. This was his story and his alone.

"Hey, another small plane is coming in for a landing." Ms. Sears said, as she watched through her binoculars. "That is the second jet to land in less than half an hour."

"Hmmm, maybe something is finally going to happen. Keep a look-out." Niko told her as he went back to his musings.

"Something's happening down there!" Sears called out a short time later. I'm seeing lights moving down the sides of the valley, as if an awful lot of people are gathering down by the river." Niko, Hudson and McDonald jumped up off of their chairs and ran to the window.

"Oh ST!" Niko exclaimed loudly, when a flying saucer appeared out of nowhere, to hover over the valley, below. "Where did that come from?" He asked, as they all grabbed their cameras and started recording what they were seeing.

"I would guess that a ship like that would have to have some sort of stealth technology, so that Earth's detection systems wouldn't be able to pick it up, as well as keeping ordinary people from seeing it, as it came into our atmosphere." Mr. Hudson said, in the pompous, know-it-all way he had.

"Look, it's starting to circle the valley!" McDonald exclaimed.

"It's landing!" Sears yelled, not taking her eyes from the view-finder of her camera.

"It's disappeared from view; I can't see it anymore." Niko said, disappointed. "We're going to have to take turns, keeping watch, tonight." He instructed and they all agreed, before getting ready to settle down in their sleeping bags.

Niko was too wound up to sleep, so he took the first watch, but nothing else happened that night. When it came time for Ms. Sears to take her watch, he took great pleasure in shaking her roughly, to wake her up. If she weren't so easy on the eyes, he would have pitched her out of the shack with the old broad.

"Get up; you were supposed to relieve me ten minutes ago. Do I have to do everything; have all the ideas, make all the plans and keep watch all night?"

"I'm up, I'm up." Sears grumbled but Niko smirked when she didn't make any other complaints. They all knew who was in charge. Yes indeed, Niko Giuliani was the Man.

Niko was awoken, very early the next morning, by something loud being dropped on the floor, but he didn't bother to open his eyes right away.

"What, what was that?" McDonald mumbled.

"Sorry, dropped the binoculars." Mr.Hudson stage-whispered.

'Man, didn't that old fart have a volume control on that voice of his?' Niko asked himself and rolled over.

"Mmwwhat time is it?" Sears asked, waking up.

"I don't know, maybe four o'clock." Hudson answered.

"Oh #!" Sears yelled, making Niko sit up and bringing McDonald up out of his sleeping bag.

"What was that?" He asked.

"That was our dear Ms. Sears, reminding us that she is not a morning person." Mr. Hudson said, in that annoyingly cheerful voice of his.

"Hey, am I just sleep deprived, or is something glowing, down in the valley?" McDonald asked.

That got everyone up and looking out the window.

"I definitely see a green light...just like that ship gave off, last night." Niko said, and everyone grabbed their cameras, just in time to see the flying saucer rise up out of the valley and hover there.

"Oh crap, it's going to take off. We have to try and follow it!" Niko yelled, as they all grabbed their coats and ran for their car.

Niko could see the ship start to move slowly away from the valley, heading south, so as soon as the car doors slammed shut, he pressed his foot to the accelerator and streaked down the mountain at lightening speed. He heard the others yell or cry out, but only grinned and pressed down on the accelerator some more.

"Keep your eyes pealed." Niko yelled, as they followed the ship.

Niko cursed as they would lose sight of it but then they would get a glimpse of it through the trees or over the top of another hill. The hours passed, unnoticed, as he made sure that they all stayed on high alert, keeping an eye out for the space ship. The sun came up and still they drove south, winding through hills and passing by cities and subdivisions; always just barely keeping a visual on the green flying saucer.

"Hey, I think we're coming into Albuquerque." McDonald said, as he looked at a map.

"The traffic has certainly increased; cars and pedestrians." Hudson said. "Maybe the circus is in town. Could the ship be headed for the fairgrounds? Maybe we should try to get ahead of it and head there. If it were to attack, while all of these people are gathered there..."

"Yeah, you're right, I have to get ahead of that thing; gotta get set up, so I can catch it all on video and grab the exclusive rights for my story." Niko said, half to himself, but the others heard him.

"Your story, this is Our story." Sears yelled at him from the back seat, but he just grinned and ignored her.

"If the craft is headed there, we have to warn the people, get them to evacuate the fairgrounds." Hudson blathered on again.

"Evacuate, shmacuate." Niko yelled. "Who cares about all those idiots, I've got to get there and set up my camera." He put his foot down on the accelerator and almost hit some pedestrians who were crossing the street, ahead of him.

"Get out of my way!" He yelled at them, weaving his way through traffic, in a mad rush to get to the fairgrounds; nothing else mattered.

Cries of surprise and anger came from the crowd, as Niko smashed his SUV through the barricade, meant to keep vehicles off of the fairgrounds and came to a screeching halt. He jumped out of the car and yelled at the others to get the equipment out.

A bunch of reporters came running over to Niko, asking what was happening.

"This is my story, all mine!" Niko yelled at them. "Aliens landed up north of here and now they're headed this way. I followed them here and so this is My story; you can't take it away from me."

"Aliens, huh? What did they look like?" One of the reporters asked, chuckling in disbelief.

"I don't know, I only saw their ship, as it came in for a landing last night. Then this morning, it took off and headed this way. It's kind of a bilious-green color, with flashing lights on the side; looks just like your typical flying saucer." Niko answered, as he set up his own equipment.

"Hey you!" He yelled at another reporter, who was pointing his cam-corder at the sky. "I said this is my exclusive story. You're not taking this away from me!"

"Hey man, I don't know what you've been smokin', but I'm just taking pictures of all these lovely balloons, which are floating by; you know, covering the fiesta. I don't see any flying saucers." Niko looked around, not seeing anything, but an enormous crowd of people.

"Fiesta; what are you talking about? Aliens are coming and I'm here to cover it!" Niko yelled, motioning to the north.

"I see it, Niko, here they come." Ms. Sears said, from behind her binoculars.

"Where?" Niko demanded, grabbing the field glasses out of her hands.

"There." She yelled, angrily, as she pointed to the dish-shaped object, which was coming their way as Niko looked through the glasses.

"Hey, Niko, is that you, son?" Niko looked up from the binoculars, at the sound of his father's voice. 'What are you doing here, old man?' He asked himself, before his excitement came back and he pointed to the object, which was steadily coming closer.

"Dad; I've done it. I've finally found the story that's going to make me famous! Aliens, Dad; they've landed on Earth and now they're headed this way!"

"What are you babbling about, Niko? Aliens; what kind of crazy talk is that? There are no aliens coming to Earth." Mr. Giuliani said and the old resentments leapt up within Niko's chest.

"You've never believed in me; you've always been too busy, being the hot-shot photographer to ever care about anything I did, or felt was important." Niko yelled at his father and then spotted Mason and Cheryl Blair and Max and Liz Evans in the crowd and ran over to them.

"You want to see aliens, Dad? These two are aliens!" Niko pointed to one of the sets of identical twins. He could never figure out which couple was which, but he didn't care.

"Why don't you try to calm down, Niko." Blair suggested in an irritatingly soft and patient voice. "Mr. Evans and I went through all of this with you, two weeks ago. Remember, we had those blood tests run and took you on a tour of Airatan? The blood tests came back negative, didn't they?" Mason asked, reasonably. "And you didn't see any aliens down in those tunnels, did you?"

'Don't talk to me as if I'm some sort of stupid idiot, you can mollify.' Niko fumed inside.

"Niko, the ship is coming closer." Mr. McDonald called and Niko turned away from the dopes and the dupes, as he liked to call them.

"What do you say now, Dad?" Niko asked, sarcastically, pointing behind him.

"Son, it's a hot-air balloon. Granted it is shaped to look like a flying saucer; I understand it belongs to a club in Roswell, but it is still a hot-air balloon. Look, you can clearly see the gondola and the propane burners." John pointed out.

"Are you crazy, old man?" Niko all but spat at Mr. Giuliani. "What hot-air balloon? I'm telling you that that is a space ship; coming to do God-only-knows-what to us. The rest of you see the flying saucer don't you? He's just a crazy old man, right?" Niko was switching between anger, at his father's stubbornness and a small sliver of uneasiness. He looked at all of the people who were standing around him. They were shaking their heads; looking between him and the sky, with pity on their faces.

'Don't look at me like that; as if I'm some moron, who needs to be pitied.' His mind screamed before he pointed to Max.

"What are you doing to all of these people? How are you hiding the truth from them? What alien powers are you using on all of us?"

"Niko, I'm sorry, but there are just no aliens. We've done everything we can think of, to convince you. Why are you holding onto this delusion of yours, son?" Max asked, in a sorrowful voice, his eloquent eyes radiating pity.

"That is no delusion; that is an Alien Ship!" Niko yelled, as he turned back and pointed up towards...a saucer-shaped...green...hot-air-balloon, which was floating closely overhead. A boy and girl were smiling and waving down at the crowds, from inside the basket, as an older man threw a bean bag over the side, to land in the center of the giant X on the ground, before they continued on their way, over the field.

"It was a flying saucer, I'm sure of it and they Are Aliens!" Niko yelled and pointed at one of the couples. Then he picked out Sue Blair's face from among the laughing and jeering throng.

"Sue? Sue Blair; what are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my parents, of course, Niko." Sue said, as she and some stud walked up to him. "You're hurting them and I don't understand why. Daddy got you that job you wanted at the studio..." Sue put a soothing hand on his arm.

"And then he fired me." Niko said, angrily and brought his hand up to slap her away, but the guy, in a lightening move, caught Niko's arm in his hand, before he could hit Sue and all of a sudden, Niko felt as if all of his energy had drained out of him. Where had his adrenaline rush disappeared to? Niko wondered, as he dropped his hand.

"I don't think you want to bring up all the legal reasons you were fired, in front of all these reporters, Mr. Giuliani." Mason said, seriously and Niko shut up; he didn't seem to have the strength, to make a retort.

"Come on, Niko, I'm taking you home." His father said, firmly taking him by the arm.

Niko's father helped him into his SUV and then blathered on and on, to the Blairs and the Evans for several minutes. As he waited for the old man to say goodbye, Niko noticed that Sue Blair and her stud were standing several yards away and that the guy was staring at him. As Niko watched through the window shield, he bent down and picked up a trampled dandelion. After straightening up, the guy twirled the crushed flower in his fingers, grinned at Niko and then...turned the yellow dandelion...into a fresh, red rose...twirled it a few more times...and turned it back into its original form, before laughing silently and turning away from Niko, to walk away with Sue on is arm.

Niko looked franticly around the car for someone, anyone to tell what he'd just seen, someone who might also have seen what that guy with Sue had done, but all he saw were people walking away from him or just walking by, seemingly unaware of everything which had just happened.

"Dad, Dad!" Niko yelled, as Mr. Giuliani got into the car. "You are never going to believe what I saw. That guy...that guy with Sue...he...he picked up a dandelion and turned it into a rose! I saw it Dad! They are aliens, they are!"

"Niko, Shut Up!" His father yelled. "There are no aliens, there never were any aliens. This was all just your idea of a sick joke to try and grab attention; well, no more. When we get home, I will lay out all the new rules by which you will live your life...working for me...or I will commit you to a mental hospital; out of which you will never leave. Do I make myself clear?"

"But Dad..." Niko whined, then took one glance at the angry expression on his father's face and nodded. His head dropped back onto the head rest and his eyes closed as he lost what little energy he had left, while his father started the car and drove off.

Was It A Dream? Part 28 What REALLY Happened!

Up on a nearby peak, Friday evening, Niko and the other reporters were on edge, bored and restless, after a fruitless two weeks of watching the town from the shack or from down in the valley itself. Even after seeing the mysterious lights, which bobbed and whirled their way around the valley, soon after sunset, each night, Mrs. Marshall had given up and left that morning, totally fed up with all of them. Mr. Hudson, aka, Doug Maisels had actually needed to side with Niko, to keep the last two reporters from leaving as well. If they left, Niko might also give up and leave, but the plan was for Niko to receive the full treatment, so that in the end, he would be totally ruined and no one would ever believe him, or give him a job, ever again.

In Cambridge, earlier that evening, all of the friends carried their luggage and walked the two blocks to the neighborhood playground. It was a good thing that the park was a large one, because a few minutes after they arrived, a helicopter, large enough to carry all seven of them and their luggage, landed there. A quick flight over to the Boston airport and they were able to board the Community's Lear-jet. Once they had taken off and were at their cruising altitude, the kids all settled down to read or take naps. Phil and Sue snuggled into each other's arms and fell asleep for the rest of the flight. When they landed outside of Airatan, all of their parents were there to greet them, including those of Audra, Shaun and Ed.

"Mom, Dad, I don't know if you will remember meeting Shaun, before." Amy Guerin introduced her boyfriend to Michael and Maria.

"Sure we've met before, but it's been quite a while since we've seen you last, Shaun." Michael shook the hand, which Amy wasn't holding tightly.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Guerin." Shaun said, as they all moved to the convoy of vehicles, waiting to take the kids to their homes.

"Dee, come ride with us." Libby called out from where she stood by a car, holding hands with her boyfriend, Marcus Guerin. Dee smiled at her twin and went to join them.

"Come on Phil and Sue." Liz said. "Your parents and aunt just arrived half an hour ago and Sam should have brought them down to our house by now." She told Sue.

The four of them got into the car and were soon home.

"Mom, Dad, Aunt Susan...and Sam; hi." Sue greeted them all as they entered the house.

"Hello, Max, Liz." Mason and Cheryl greeted their friends after hugging their daughter and surprising Phil by hugging him, as well.

"What's this Sam is telling us about a space ship arriving here soon? I remember you mentioning something about one, two weeks ago, but I wasn't sure if you were serious. Won't Niko see it?"

"No, Niko is only going to see what we want him to see, don't worry." Max reassured them. "The ship comes in under a stealth technology, which keeps anyone from seeing it or any equipment from sensing it."

"As soon as these kids put their luggage in their rooms, it will be time to go see the ship land." Liz said.

"Why did the ship come today, of all days, Dad?" Phil asked, once they had all walked down to the valley floor, by the river, where the space craft would land.

"Well, as much as everyone here trusts in your plan and believes that it will work; word spread to our fellow Antarians, who live out in space and they are the ones who sent the ship." Max explained to his son. "You might call it a Noah's ark. In case something drastic happens, the mother-ship, which is remaining out in space, behind the moon, is large enough to take all of us on board and away from Earth in one trip." At Phil's pained expression, Max continued.

"As much as I trust in your plan and expect everything to go the way we want it to, I couldn't tell them not to come. I didn't ask the Alliance to send the ship, but as king, under these circumstances, I couldn't take the chance that we might need their help."

"Of course, Dad; I understand. Man, if anything really, really does go wrong, almost our entire civilization could be wiped out. I'm glad you allowed our people to send the ship."

"But we'll do our very best to make sure that we don't need it." Max told his son and heir, seriously and both men nodded in determination.

"Speaking of doing our best for the future of our people, maybe this would be a good time to introduce Sue as your fiancée and future queen." Max suggested, glancing at Liz, who also nodded her approval. "Everyone is down here, in one place."

"Alright, Dad." Phillip told his father, after glancing down at Sue and seeing her nod, agreeably.

"May I have your attention?" Max called out loudly, as well as sub-vocally, over the Connection. "I would like to make an announcement at this time, if I may." Everyone stopped talking, turned towards Max and moved closer; giving him their full attention.

"It is my pleasure to announce that our son and heir, Phillip has become engaged to the lovely young lady, standing next to him; Susan Blair, daughter of Mason and Cheryl Blair. And as Phillip's mate, she will become your new queen, when the time comes!" Max said smiling happily, as the entire crowd broke out into cheers, clapping and many wishes for their happy future.

"Thank you for welcoming Suzie, the love of my life, into our community so warmly!" Phil called out, after the crowd had calmed down a little. "She is a very special lady and I love her with all of my heart." Phil said, turning away from all the people and gazing lovingly into Sue's eyes.

The crowd started to chant: kiss her, kiss her, kiss her...

"Would you mind?" Phil asked Sue quietly and she turned her head to face the crowd.

"No, I wouldn't mind if you kissed me, in front of all these wonderful people, because I Love You TOO!" She said loudly, so that everyone could hear her and then she turned back to Phil, rose up on her tip-toes and welcomed his kiss.

Sue flung her arms around Phillip's neck, holding on tight and kissed him back passionately, as only new lovers can do. The cheering doubled as they happily watched their handsome prince kiss his lovely princess. A few moments later, Phil and Sue came up for air and turned towards the crowd; blushing and waved happily. Just then, the ship was sensed by the Connection.

"Here comes the ship, guys; everyone link hands." Isabel called.

With linked hands and using the Connection, they were able to look past the stealth technology and see the beautiful, graceful and almost fluid-looking ship come in for a landing.

"Oh man!" Mason exclaimed.

"That ain't no flying saucer, that is a work of art!" Susan exclaimed, excitedly, as she clung tightly to Sam's large hand.

"Wow!" Both Cheryl and Sue exclaimed in unison, as they clung to their respective lover's' hands, as well.

The bottom of the ship opened and was lowered to the ground. On the platform stood the dozen or so Antarians, who had come with the ship. The royal family, including Max, Liz, Isabel, Dee, Libby, Phillip and Sue; as his fiancé, moved forward to greet their visitors.

"Welcome, all of you." Max said, as the travelers bowed low before him. "May I introduce my family? My wife and queen; Liz, my sister; Isabel, my daughters, Dee and Libby; my son and heir, Phillip and his fiancé and future queen, Sue."

"Your Highnesses." The group bowed again, even lower, to include the entire royal family.

Sue was shocked and excited about being included in such a formal introduction. This was so different from the informal and boisterous one, which had taken place only a few minutes earlier and she squeezed Phil's hand and then felt his answering and reassuring squeeze back.

The visitors introduced themselves and Max thanked them sincerely and formally, for arranging to bring the ship to ensure an emergency evacuation, should such a measure prove necessary.

"We are about to perform our nightly entertainment for Mr. Giuliani and his associates. You have about thirty minutes, while we set things up, if you would like to take your luggage over to our hotel and freshen up first." Max signaled to the hotel-owner, his wife and several young people, who came forward; ready to help their guests with their belongings.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Actually we would greatly enjoy watching your preparations, here, if you would be so kind as to explain everything to us. We can see our rooms after the entertainments are over." The leader said and Max nodded and motioned everyone to move back to the group at large, so that Mason, Cheryl and all the newly arrived college kids could hear his tale.

"Almost two weeks ago, we met with Niko Giuliani and his associates. We performed blood tests, switching Alex, my brother-in-law's blood for mine, to prove that Mason Blair and I and Cheryl Blair and Liz are not related. We also gave them an extensive tour of the town. Apparently that was not enough for them, because two of the reporters and one of us; Doug Maisels, who took the place of a third reporter, stayed in town and snooped around for a week, while the other four reporters took positions on higher peaks and have tried to spy on us, ever since. The three reporters; Marshall, Sears and Hudson, aka Doug, gave up snooping around town last weekend and moved out to join Giuliani and McDonald, who were the only reporters who hadn't given up and left, up on the higher elevations. Mrs. Marshall has since given up and left, as well." Liz took up the tale for the next part.

"This last week, we have just been giving them something to watch, while we had some fun as a community. We've held barbeques and roasted marshmallows over bonfires and set up candy and prize-hunts for the children among the trees, just after sunset, so that they had to use flashlights and their powers to find the treats. Their cameras will have picked up the good, wholesome fun we have here in Airatan, but Doug has mind-warped them to see...other things! Mostly they have not even bothered to check the pictures they've taken, but Doug has mind-warped them the few times they have. Tonight, we start the major part of our son's plan." Liz said, indicating that Phil should continue.

"Tomorrow is the grand opening for this year's Albuquerque International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta. Literally millions of people come to this famous event, which has been held outside of Albuquerque for sixty years, as of this year. I belong to the Roswell Hot-air Balloon Club and our balloon has always been in the shape of a flying saucer. We often perform a laser-show after sunset, to make it look as though the spaceship is attacking Earth. It has always been a big hit!" Everyone chuckled, remembering the fun they had, had at past fiestas.

"We plan to use this balloon and some mind-warping to lure Niko to the fiesta where I believe he will make everyone think that he is insane or where he will make a total and very public fool of himself, in front of the Press and everyone else there."

"If my helpers would start spreading the envelope, the balloon out..." Phillip called out instructions, as he walked to the mouth of the balloon.

"Sue would you and Dee hold the mouth open, while I blow air into the envelope with the fan?" Sue happily agreed and watched, as air was forced into the enormous, nylon bag. It rippled like a wave, as other helpers held up the cloth all around the edges of the balloon.

"Tonight, I'll use my powers to heat the air and make the balloon rise. I don't want to use the propane burners to heat the air, until we're aloft, because of the light they give off and the way they make the balloon glow. I only want the balloon to light up after we are aloft! Sue, would you like to go up in the gondola with me?" Phil asked, hopefully.

"Oh yes, I'd love to, Phillip!" Sue agreed, excitedly.

Phillip, Max, Dee and Libby all used their powers to heat the air inside the envelope and soon the balloon was floating above them all.

"How big is that thing, Phillip?" Mason asked, as he looked up and up.

"It's only about twenty five feet, or two and a half stories, high; but it is at least fifty feet wide; unlike your traditional balloon shapes, which run thirty, forty, or even fifty feet high."

"Ready, Sue?" Phil asked, extending his hand to her.

"Ready!" Sue said, as Phil helped her into the gondola and then got in himself. He used more of his power to heat the air more and then they were off. Their friends on the ground let out the long tether-rope as they rose higher and higher. The rope wasn't really necessary, even at night, since Phil could perfectly control the direction of the balloon, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

"Okay, Doug says that we're high enough for Niko to easily see us. Time to start the show!"

Phil reached up and started the propane burners, which let out an enormous and very bright flame, which lit up the balloon and made it glow an eerie green from within. Phil took Sue's hand, so that she could link into the Connection and see, not only what their friends were seeing from the ground, but what Niko was seeing from his lofty perch.

"Oh my gosh, this is so great!" Sue cried out, happily.

"Ready to circle the valley a little? We have to give a little show; make it look as though we are coming in for a landing." Phil explained and Sue nodded; her eyes huge.

Unlike a normal hot-air balloon, which can only control its direction by finding a stream of air, which is blowing in the general direction you want to go, Phillip was able to use his powers to make his balloon slowly circle part of the valley.

"Alright, time for the space ship to come in for a landing." Phillip said, as he indicated for Sue to slowly pull on the rip-cord, which in turn slowly opened the vent at the top of the balloon, letting the hot air out, as the ground crew pulled them down with the tether-rope. They landed with a soft thump and Phil helped Sue climb out, so that they could both help pull the deflating envelope down and expel the last of the hot air inside. They did this as many of the helpful children were doing too; they rolled together, over the trapped pillows of air.

"Mmm, that was wonderful!" Sue said, as she lay against Phil and kissed him, while they were hidden from view for a moment by the billowing nylon.

"Mmm, this is wonderful!" Phil corrected as he held her in his arms for a few moments until a couple little girls came bounding over the puffy, air pockets, towards them. Sue and Phil laughed along with their happy giggles, as they pushed the rest of the air out of the balloon, so it could be folded and packed away.

"All of the equipment should be safe here, under a tarp, until we take off before dawn." J.J. Valenti said, as he stood next to his sister, Nancy and his father, Kyle Valenti, current and long-time Roswell Sheriff, who were all fellow members of the Roswell Hot-air Balloon Club.

"Yeah, we'd all better go get some shut-eye." Kyle said, as he looked at his kids. "The three of us, because we are flying that balloon tomorrow and the rest of you, because you have to drive to Albuquerque and reach there before Niko does."

"And we want to see you take off and make sure that Niko follows you." Phil added.

Now that the entertainment was over for the night, everyone was heading towards their homes. They would all be up early to see the final phase of their plan take off and many of them would race to the fiesta-grounds, to see it end.

"Let's go home, Phil." Sue encouraged and the young couple started to walk across the valley floor and then to climb the steps up to the Evans' house. Sue took the opportunity, which convenient shadows gave her, to have a few minutes of privacy with her fiancé. When Sue pulled Phillip into the first group of shadows, created by some blue Spruce, they were both neat in their appearances. When they stepped back out into the moonlight, their hair and clothing were...no longer...neat. With each consecutive shadow into which Sue pulled Phillip, or Phil pulled Sue, their appearances only became more lovingly disheveled and mussed, until they reached their destination and they paused for one, last kiss, one more caress. Afterwards, Phil passed his glowing hands over both of them, to return their clothes and hair to normal. When they stepped inside, through the family room's French doors, Dee was there waiting to pick on her brother and good friend, as only a little sister can.

"Gee whiz you two, where have you been?" She asked, coyly...and loudly. I've been here for over thirty minutes. I was beginning to worry that you had fallen off the side of the mountain or something...is that a leaf in your hair, a few pine needles stuck to your sweaters?"

"With you to come home to, is it any wonder we took our time?" Phil replied and then grabbed his sister with a gentle arm around her neck and started to tickle her. "Brat!" Phil laughed, before he let her go.

"Did you two enjoy the stars and the moonlight?" Liz asked her son, understandingly.

"Mom and Dad only came in five minutes before you did!" Dee gleefully told everyone, as she stood a safe distance from her father.

"Um, moonlight, stars...yeah they were beautiful tonight." Phil said, as he gazed lovingly at Sue; his actions saying clearly that she was who he saw as beautiful that night. "Don't you agree...Dad?" He asked, looking over at his father, who was similarly enraptured with his view of Phil's mother.

"Absolutely lovely, tonight and every night." Max said and Liz rewarded him by actually blushing; something she still did, even after all these years, when her husband looked at her with that intense gaze of his.

Dee threw her hands up in the air at being unable to get the response she wanted out of any of the love-struck members of her family and walked off towards her room.

"We'd all better head for our rooms...to get some sleep." Sue specified, as she kissed Phil goodnight and headed towards the room she was sharing with Libby.

Soon everyone followed her and the house settled down for the night. Up in Sam's home, the Blairs were settling into their guest room, as well, but both Sam and Susan were looking out their bedroom windows, towards the moonlit valley, as they each thought about their feelings for that special person, who was in a bedroom on the other side of the house, from themselves.

Early the next morning, long before dawn, most of the Community was down on the valley floor, helping or watching as the balloon was spread out over the ground, ready to inflate, again.

"I thought you didn't fly hot-air balloons when it was dark." Cheryl asked Liz.

"Normally, you don't, but it will look better, more secretive, if the ship takes off in the dark and Kyle, Nancy and J.J. need to reach Albuquerque at the proper time to take part in the first competition of the fiesta, which starts at 6am, before the air heats up and the winds pick up. It's a long way to Albuquerque."

Sue and Phil held open the mouth of the balloon, as Kyle used the fan to force air into the envelope, then he turned on the propane burners, to heat the air and the balloon started to fill up and rise. Shortly after that, Nancy and J.J. got into the basket with their father.

Up on the mountain peak, Doug had pulled the early-morning watch and knew what was going to happen anyway, so he made a point of accidentally dropping the binoculars loudly to the floor, they all needed to be awake, so they would see what was going to happen any minute now.

"Doug says that Giuliani, McDonald and Sears are awake now." Max told Kyle. "It's time to take off; show them what they want to see.

"Right; let go of the tether rope." He called out.

The rope was released and the balloon took off, using the propane burners to heat the air and make the "flying saucer" glow from within.

"Doug says that they have all seen the ship and are headed for their car." Max told the others. "We should be doing the same. Kyle will take them out of their way, but we still have a long drive ahead of us."

Everyone ran for the battery-powered shuttle vehicles, which they had parked nearby and drove to the Community's parking garage, near the entrance, where they kept their gasoline powered cars. Soon, there was a convoy of Antarians streaming down the freeway, towards Albuquerque. They had made preparations beforehand and were able to eat breakfast rolls and muffins on the drive south, past Santa Fe, to the Albuquerque fair grounds.

It was only seven o'clock in the morning, but there were thousands of people gathered together to watch the first competition of the fiesta; the bean-bag drop. Balloonists pick a spot at least five miles away; from a position they believe the winds will carry them over the fairgrounds, where a giant X has been placed on the ground. The balloonists hope that the winds they have chosen will carry them the closest to the X, onto which they throw a bean bag, with a colorful streamer attached to it, before they drift off to land somewhere else. The team, whose bean bag lands closest to the mark, wins.

Kyle and his kids were flying in from considerably further away than five miles; 120 miles at least and it was Nancy and J.J. who were keeping the balloon aloft and who were steering it where they wanted it to go, until they came into sight of other balloonists and their ground crews, driving below; then they used the propane tanks and allowed the winds to take them where they would. That was, happily, towards the fairgrounds.

"I can't believe Niko has stayed with us all this time." Nancy laughed, as she used her binoculars to pick out his red SUV, on the road below.

"Yeah, what a chase we've led them on. We flew straight, but they had to follow the roads, which snaked through the hills." J.J. added.

"It's a shame that we won't be able to be on the ground in time to see what happens, first hand, but at least we'll be able to see everything through the Connection." Kyle said.

They allowed Niko's SUV to get ahead of them, as Doug told them that the reporters in the car with him could see the fairgrounds from the road.

'Niko wants to rush ahead of you.' Doug told them over the Connection. 'Not to warn all the people that an alien ship is coming, possible to harm them, but to make sure that he gets the exclusive rights to the story. I haven't allowed them to see what all those people have really come to see, yet. He doesn't care about them anyway, as long as he gets his fame and fortune from telling the world that aliens have come to Earth.'

"Oh man!" J.J. exclaimed in disgust, as he and his sister slowed the balloon and allowed Niko's SUV to pass beneath them.

On the ground, at the fiesta, all of the Anterians had arrived and were trying to relax a little, by watching all of the lovely, multi-colored and differently shaped hot-air balloons floated by and dropped their bean bags, as they waited for Niko to arrive.

"Oooh, there's the Tony-the-Tiger balloon and over there is the balloon for the Fiesta's sixtieth anniversary; it's in the shape of a giant cake, with what looks to be sixty candles on top and a huge '60' written on the side!" Dee pointed out.

"Here comes the Coke can balloon and wow, look at that one, it looks like a giant Chili pepper!" Libby pointed out.

"Here comes my favorite; the Witch balloon. How they ever get her inflated, much less off the ground, is beyond me!" Tess said.

The balloon was actually in the shape of a witch on her broom; complete with a pointy hat, a wart on her nose, green skin and a spider hanging from the end of the broom handle.

"Doug says they're almost here." Max told everyone and then walked over to where Mason and Cheryl were speaking to John Giuliani. Max quirked his eyebrow, to indicate to his two friends, that the show was about to begin.

Cries of surprise and anger came through the crowd, as Niko smashed his SUV through the barricade, meant to keep vehicles off of the fairgrounds and came to a screeching halt, not far from where Max, Liz, Mason, Cheryl and Sneaky John were standing. He didn't even notice them, as he yelled for the others in the car to get their equipment out.

Several Antarians managed to stop and calm down the security guards who had come running out after Niko and kept them out of the way...the last act was about to play itself out.

A bunch of reporters came running over to Niko, asking what was happening.

"This is my story, all mine!" Niko yelled at them. "Aliens landed up north of here and now they are headed this way. I followed them here and so this is My story; you can't take it away from me."

"Aliens, huh? What did they look like?" One of the reporters asked, chuckling at this wild, young man.

"I don't know, I only saw their ship, as it came in for a landing last night. Then this morning, it took off and headed this way. It's kind of a bilious-green, with flashing lights on the side; looks just like your typical flying saucer." Niko answered, as he set up his equipment. "Hey you!" He yelled at another reporter, who was pointing his cam-corder at the sky. "I said this is my exclusive story. You're not taking this away from me!" Niko yelled.

"Hey man, I don't know what you've been smokin', but I'm just taking pictures of all these lovely balloons, which are floating by; you know, covering the fiesta. I don't see any flying saucers."

"Fiesta; what are you talking about? Aliens are coming and I'm here to cover that!" Niko yelled, motioning to the north.

"I see it, Niko, here they come." Ms. Sears said, from behind her binoculars.

"Where?" Niko demanded, grabbing the field glasses out of her hands.

"There." She yelled, angrily, as she pointed to the dish-shaped object, which was coming their way and Niko looked through the glasses.

"Hey, Niko, is that you, son?" John came over to where he was standing.

"Dad! I've done it. I've finally found the story that's going to make me famous! Aliens, Dad; they've landed on Earth and now they're headed this way!" Niko pointed to the object, which was steadily coming closer.

"What are you babbling about, Niko? Aliens; what kind of crazy talk is that? There are no aliens coming to Earth." John said.

"You've never believed in me; you've always been too busy, being the hot-shot photographer to ever care about anything I did, or felt was important." Niko yelled at his father and then spotted Mason, Cheryl, Max and Liz, who had attracted quite a bit of attention from other photojournalists, themselves. Videos were rolling and camera shutters were clicking, as Niko ran over to them.

"You want to see aliens, Dad? These two are aliens!" Niko pointed at Mason and Cheryl.

"Why don't you try to calm down, Niko." Mason suggested in a soft, patient voice. "Mr. Evans and I went through all of this with you, two weeks ago. Remember, we had those blood tests run and took you on a tour of Airatan? The blood tests came back negative, didn't they?" Mason asked, reasonably. "And you didn't see any aliens down in those tunnels, did you?"

"Niko, the ship is coming closer." Mr. McDonald called and Giuliani turned away from the foursome, as Doug dropped his mind-warp and went to stand anonymously behind his king and queen.

"What do you say now, Dad?" Niko asked, sarcastically, pointing at the hot-air balloon, which was coming closer.

"Son, it's a hot-air balloon. Granted it is shaped to look like a flying saucer; I understand it belongs to a club in Roswell, but it is still a hot-air balloon. Look, you can clearly see the gondola and the propane burners." John pointed out.

Niko looked up, but in his state of mind, he still could not see the truth, which was coming all the closer.

"Are you crazy, old man? What hot-air balloon? I'm telling you that that is a space ship; coming to do God-only-knows-what to us. The rest of you see the flying saucer don't you? He's just a crazy old man, right?"

Niko looked at all of the people who were standing around him. They were shaking their heads; looking between him and the sky, with pity on their faces.

"What are you doing to all of these people?" Niko yelled at Max. "How are you hiding the truth from them? What alien powers are you using on all of us?"

"Niko, I'm sorry, but there are just no aliens. We've done everything we can think of to convince you. Why are you holding onto this delusion of yours, son?" Max asked, in a sorrowful voice, his eloquent eyes radiating pity.

"That is no delusion; that is an Alien Ship!" Niko yelled as he turned back and pointed up towards...a saucer-shaped...green...hot-air-balloon, which was floating closely overhead. J.J. and Nancy were smiling and waving down at the crowds, as Kyle threw their bean bag over the side, to land in the center of the X, before they continued on their way, over the field.

"It was a flying saucer, I'm sure of it." Niko said again, as Mr. McDonald and Ms. Sears disappeared into the crowd.

All of the Antarians slipped back as well, allowing the Press to come in closer. Only Max, Liz, Mason, Cheryl, Phillip, Sue, Sneaky John, Susan and Sam remained within the circle, which had formed around Niko.

"It was a flying saucer and they Are Aliens!" Niko yelled and pointed at Max and Liz this time. Then he picked out Sue's face from among the laughing and jeering throng.

"Sue? Sue Blair; what are you doing here?" As discussed before, Sue, with Phil by her side, walked up to him.

"I'm here with my parents, of course, Niko. You're hurting them and I don't understand why. Daddy got you that job you wanted at the studio..." Sue put a soothing hand on his arm.

"And then he fired me." Niko said, angrily and brought his hand up to slap her away, but Phillip, in a lightening move, caught Niko's arm in his hand, before he could hit Sue.

'Now, Doug!' Phil yelled, sub-vocally, to an invisible Doug, who had come up with Sue and Phillip and casually moved around behind Niko, with a pneumatic drug injector in his hand...just in case. Doug quickly pressed the injector against the arm Phillip was holding. No one was able to see what he did and fellow Antarians were making sure that no camera caught the act on disc either.

"I don't think you want to bring up all the legal reasons you were fired, in front of all these reporters, Mr. Giuliani." Mason said, seriously, shutting Niko up.

"Come on, Niko, I'm taking you home." Sneaky John firmly took a suddenly passive and tired-looking Niko by the arm.

'I know I said that I wouldn't rock the boat, but this slime ball tried to hit Suzie.' Phil told his father and everyone else, sub-vocally.'

'Phil...' Max said.

'Dad...'

'Alright; get ready everyone, make sure that no one else sees.' Max said, silently.

As John apologized to Mason, Cheryl, Max and Liz, on his son's behalf and asked Mason to take care of his own rental car, the reporters drifted away. The mental break down of a tabloid reporter just wasn't big news. There was also the fact that they all knew that Niko was a slime ball and none of them particularly cared what happened to him. They turned their attention back to the reason they were all there; the hot-air balloon fiesta and quickly forgot all about Niko's wild ramblings.

As John put a quiet Niko into the passenger seat of the SUV, the group of Antarians was once again encircling their royal family and friends; to keep anyone else from seeing what was about to happen. John was saying a last goodbye to Mason and Cheryl while Sue and Phillip moved to stand several yards in front of the SUV. Phillip stared at Nko until Niko turned to him. Phillip then bent down and picked up a poor, trampled dandelion. He twirled the crushed flower in his fingers, grinned at Niko and then turned the yellow dandelion into a fresh, red rose...twirled it a few more times...and then turned it back into its original form again, before laughing silently and turning away from Niko, to walk away with Sue on is arm.

Niko looked franticly around the car for someone, anyone to tell what he'd just seen, someone who might also have seen what that guy with Sue had done, but all he saw were people walking away from him or just walking by, seemingly unaware of everything which had just happened.

"Dad, Dad!" Niko yelled, as John got into the car. "You are never going to believe what I saw. That guy...that guy with Sue...he...he picked up a dandelion and turned it into a rose! I saw it Dad! They are aliens, they are!"

"Niko, Shut Up!" John yelled, exhausted, angry and embarrassed by his own son. "There are no aliens, there never were any aliens. This was all just your idea of a sick joke to try and grab attention; well, no more. When we get home, I will lay out all the new rules by which you will live your life...working for me...or I will commit you to a mental hospital; out of which you will never leave. Do I make myself clear?"

"But Dad..." Niko whined, but after seeing the expression on his father's face, Niko nodded and the drug took effect again. John started the car and drove off.

"We did it, we did it, we did it!" Dee jumped up and down, happily, after the Giuliani men drove off.

"We did indeed!" Max grinned. "Thanks to all of your help." He raised his voice, so that the whole crowd of Antarians could hear him. "And a brilliant plan by your Prince!" Max laid a proud hand on Phillip's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad; thank you, everyone for your help." Phillip called out to the crowd, as well. Then he looked down into the awe-filled eyes of his Suzie and leaned in to kiss her.

"Well, with that, I guess it's time to head home and celebrate!" Max said and everyone cheered and headed for their cars.

"What did Doug do to Niko? Did he administer some sort of drug?" Mason asked from where he sat next to Cheryl, in the back seat of Max's car.

"Yes, he injected a drug which calms the patient; makes them passive. It will leave no traces in his body and will slowly dissipate over the next twelve hours, without any side effects." Max explained.

Liz changed the subject to a happier topic of conversation and the four of them chatted companionably during their long drive back home.

Part 29

When the Antarian convoy arrived back home, from their trip to the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, most of them retired to their homes, to take a late morning nap, since they had all awoken so early that morning. Max, Liz, Mason and Cheryl had discussed the plans for having one, last community barbeque, as a celebration of their victory over Niko Giuliani and the Press, that afternoon; but first, they too retired to their rooms for a nap.

"This is a wonderful celebration, Your Highness." Sram, the spokesman for the visitors told Max, later on that afternoon. "A pleasant way for all of you to release all of the stress, everyone has been under, because of that unstable, young Human."

"Yes, it is one of our favorite customs; to celebrate our victories together, as well as to help one another in the face of adversity and console each other after our defeats...And please call me Max and my wife, Liz. We are not that formal here in Airatan."

"Thank you, Your...Max." Sram said. "Now that the emergency is over, I was wondering if we might stay a few more days, to take a look at your world."

"Of course, you are very welcome to stay as long as you wish. Actually, I was going to request that you do remain here for at least a week, as Mason Blair warned me that the four of us will probably have to make a statement about our identical looks and answer some questions from the Press, in the next day or two."

"We will be happy to stay, but hope for the best, for your encounter with the Press."

"Thank you." Max said, as Phillip and Sue came up to them and stood, waiting patiently to speak to him.

"I will go then and allow our young prince and princess to speak to their king." Sram fell back into his formal speech and manors, as he bowed to all three of them and walked away.

"Dad, Sue and I were wondering if we could perform the robe and ring ceremony, sometime today or tomorrow; Mom says that she has Sue's robe ready."

"Hey that would be a great thing to do; the ceremony would make a terrific ending for this pretty incredible day!" Max grinned. "How about in an hour, up at the house; this party is winding down already, as it is."

"Alright, we'll go tell everyone else." Phil said and the young couple walked off to do just that.

Several minutes later, they had told everyone but Susan and Sam.

"Mom, have you seen Aunt Susan?" Sue asked Cheryl.

"Um, no honey, I haven't. Could they have gone up to Sam's house to get something?"

"I don't know what they would need, but we'll try there anyway; we haven't been able to find either one of them down here, anywhere." Phil said.

"See you in a little while, you two." Cheryl smiled at her daughter and soon-to-be new son, as they walked away, hand in hand, in the direction of Sam Jones' house.

"Well the elevator is up there, so they must be up there too." Phil said when they reached the foot of the stairs, up to Sam's house. "I guess we have more stairs to climb."

When they reached the top of the stairs, Sue knocked on Sam's front door, but received no answer.

"We rarely lock our doors, here. Let's try the knob." Phil said, as he turned the door knob and it opened.

"Aunt Susan, Sam." Sue called out, but once again, received no response.

"I'll check this side of the house, you try that side." Phil suggested, before he walked over to the guest wing.

Sue walked over to the door to Sam's bedroom, which was slightly ajar. She thought that the older gentleman might be taking a nap, so she quietly and cautiously pushed his door open. What she saw made her grin and then run to tell Phillip.

"Phillip, I've found them, come here quickly." Sue exclaimed, grabbing his hand and running back into Sam's empty bedroom and pointed to an open window.

"Oh hey, that's great!" Phil chuckled as he grinned at the sight of the older couple, standing outside in Sam's side yard; arms wrapped around each other and kissing passionately.

"Hey look at that statue, next to them; it looks jut like the one Aunt Susan has in her back garden, only this statue has two horses, not one." Sue said.

"I bet your aunt brought hers' here to fit together with Sam's, as Michael meant them to be displayed, because Sam always had a single horse statue, as well."

"If that's the case, that statue might be what set off their kissing." Sue said. "They put their two individual statues together and it became an image of a stallion and a mare, rubbing their necks together; almost nuzzling each other, tenderly."

"Well, whatever brought them together, maybe we should leave before they catch us watching them. We can leave them a note, on the dining table." Phil suggested, as he took Sue's hand and they backed out of the bedroom, giggling.

"You don't think that they might just come back into Sam's bedroom and...and..."

"No, Sam isn't that kind of guy; especially if he cares as much as I think he does, about your aunt." Phil assured her, as he wrote them a note and propped it up on the table. "Let's go home and get ready."

"Did you find your aunt, Sue?" Liz asked when the two of them walked into the house.

"Um yes...they were...outside, so we left them a note on the dining table. I'm sure that they'll see it in time to make it here for the ceremony." Sue answered.

"Well if they don't see the note, we can always page Sam." Liz replied, as she brought Sue her robe. Why don't you go try that on? If it needs any adjustments, I, Dee or Libby can make them for you."

"Thank you so much for sewing this robe for me; it means a lot for me to wear this to our wedding."

"Of course it does and it will look gorgeous on you, when the time comes." Liz said.

Sue walked into Libby's room, to find her two friends already there.

"Ooh put it on; I want to see how it looks on you!" Dee exclaimed.

"How does it look?" Sue asked a few minutes later.

"It looks great on you! Mom made it fit perfectly." Libby said, as she turned Sue towards the full-length mirror, on the back of her bedroom door.

"Oh my gosh, did your mother have to make it look so..."

"Sexy?" Dee grinned.

"Yeah, I've never worn anything so low cut before. I wish that I could put one more fastening up here." Sue pointed to the middle of her chest.

"No way, that would ruin the look. You look lovely and yes a little sexy, as well, but that is a good thing in this case!" Libby assured her. "Wait till you see Phillip. He was wearing a shirt under his robe, during his birthright ceremony."

"Oh that's right. You mean he won't be wearing a shirt this time?" Sue asked eagerly. "I love to look at his chest...not that I've had that many chances to see his chest." Sue quickly reassured her friends.

"Just how many times have you seen my brother's chest?" Dee asked, curiously.

"Well actually only once, when he was playing basketball...and he didn't know I was watching." Sue answered.

"Well then, here's your chance to see it again! Come on, it's time to go." Libby grabbed Sue's hand and pulled her out of the bedroom and down the hall to the doorway to the kitchen/family room.

Sue stopped dead in her tracks when she saw everyone, including a flushed and mussed Susan and Sam, gathered in there and blushed; crossing her arms over her own chest.

"Come on, we'll face them together." Phillip's soft voice came from behind her.

"Phillip!" Sue whirled around to look at him, as Dee and Libby walked out to join their family and friends.

'Boy that robe does show off his incredible chest and arms, very well.' Sue thought to herself, but Phil heard her thoughts, as she had her hand on his arm and he blushed a little, as well.

'Thanks, your...chest...is...great to look at too!' Phil replied grinning.

"Oh my gosh, you weren't supposed to hear that." Sue blushed some more.

"Your words flatter me...and turn me on." Phil whispered into her ear. "But we can't do anything about that right now, so let's go and perform the ceremony, okay?"

"Alright." Sue agreed and they walked into the family room, hand in hand.

"Ready you two?" Max asked and they nodded; stepping to face each other.

"Hold each other's left hands and then place your right hands on your partner's upper left chest. Sue, don't cover the crest, which is already on Phil's robe." Max instructed and Sue moved her hand over a little.

"Alright now, just close your eyes and concentrate on your love for each other." Liz continued the instruction and watched as they did so.

A moment later, everyone could see a glow appear under each hand, as it lay on the other's chest. Then the glow built in intensity, until it encircled both of them, before fading away.

"Is it over?" Sue asked, as she opened her eyes and gazed up into Phil's.

"Yes, let's look at our design." He suggested and they looked to each other's robe.

"It looks like two hands, which are palm to palm and the fingers are intertwined." Sue said.

"Yes, one hand is larger than the other; they represent our hands." Phil said.

"What I can see of your larger hand, behind my smaller one, is embroidered in a deeper gold color, while mine is embroidered in a lighter shade of gold." Sue said.

"What're the lines, which are stitched across your hand, Sue?" Phillip asked.

"I think that they're the lines a palm-reader might look at; here's the heart-line, the fate-line, the head-line and the life-line." Sue traced the design on Phil's robe.

"But there seems to be two of each line, running closely together, sometimes even touching." Phil noted.

"I think they represent each of us; one of the lines is yours, one of the lines is mine."

"Well in that case, look at this line, you called the fate-line; it's really interesting." Phil said. "At the base, our lines are intertwined, then they split apart a little before coming back together again and are intertwined the rest of the way up each of our hands."

"May we take a look?" Liz asked, as she and Cheryl came over to take a closer look. As their mothers looked at their robes, Sue's mind raced ahead.

"Since that's our fate-line, do you think it means that we're meant to be together for the rest of our lives?" Sue asked, hopefully.

"No matter what some lines say, that's how our lives are going to be." Phil reassured Sue. "But what do you think the short gap between our two lines mean?...Wait a minute, I think I know. Our intertwined lines, at the bottom could signify that day we met and played together; that short moment in our lives has remained in our memories all these years, because it meant so much to each of us, even though we didn't understand it at the time."

"It might also signify the four of us meeting and how much we look like each other." Cheryl suggested and Phil nodded, before he said thoughtfully.

"That could be, because the gap between our lines most probably relates to the years we were kept apart from each other, while the four of you were trying to keep us all safe from the curious Press." Phil agreed.

"And now that we're together again, the lines mean that we'll be together for the rest of our lives." Sue finished, happily.

"Absolutely." Phil agreed, wholeheartedly, before he leaned over and kissed her.

"Uh-hem." Someone cleared their throat, nearby and Phil and Sue parted reluctantly.

"Look, Sue, you also received the Anterian Royal Seal on your robe." Cheryl pointed out.

"Yes, she did, but the markings are just a little different. I think they indicated that Sue is the heir's mate; his queen!" Phil grinned at Sue, intently.

"Now you can make the border, using your symbol, repeating it down the front of your robes and around the hems." Liz told them, so Phillip ran his hand down the front of Sue's robe and around her hem and did the same for his own robe; creating a lovely, golden border.

"Oh that looks lovely, Phillip!" Sue exclaimed on a quiet sigh, as she looked down at her own robe and then over to his.

"Now we can put the symbol onto our rings." Phil told her and they both took their rings from around their necks.

Sue gave him his ring, which she had been wearing and he closed his hands around both of them and concentrated. When he opened them again, two wide bands lay on his palm.

"Oh Phillip, how beautiful they are!" Sue exclaimed, as she gently touched the two rings in Phillip's hands, turning them over as she did.

Their symbol of the two clasped hands, had been intricately duplicated, with every line and marking clearly imprinted and they ran around each band, in pairs; fingertips to fingertips and then wrist to wrist. The last pair of clasped hands were placed on either side of the Antarian Royal Crest, almost as if they were holding it.

"I've noticed that the crest on our parents' robes and on their wedding bands have colors in them, like the stained glass crest set into their front door; our crests are only set in gold..." Sue asked hesitantly, but then answered herself before Phil could. "...Oh, is it because they're the king and queen, Now?...Will, will our crests...change...when you...when we...take their places?"

"I would think so; since our crests indicate that we're the heirs to the Antarian throne." Phil answered and Sue smiled her understanding.

"Wow what an incredible ceremony!" Susan exclaimed, as Phillip and Sue hung each other's rings around their necks again.

'I wonder if two humans would be able to somehow do that alien magic...to create robes like that...' Susan wondered to herself. 'Sam and I have become so close even though we've known each other for only two weeks; I've fallen in love with him! I know Sam cares for me, but I don't know if he will ever fall in love with me too; I'm not what you'd call a prime catch; certainly no other men have thought I was worth much of their time...What makes me think I'd ever be worthy to be the wife of such a fine, handsome man as Sam?'

'Hmmm, I wonder what made Susan look so sad all of a sudden.' Sam thought to himself. 'She was so happy and excited a moment ago, when she was talking to the kids; then such a melancholy expression replaced her lovely smile and dampened the sparkle in her eyes. I love her so much, I can't stand to see her sad or unhappy. We've only known each other for two weeks, but I know my love for her is real. I can't believe that some other lucky guy hasn't snatched her up already; are all other males blind and stupid; not to have noticed Susan's beauty; her intelligence and sweetness; everything else about her, which makes her so special? I just wish our two weeks together could instantly be two months, so that it would be more seemly for me to tell her how much I love her. I've tried to show her how I feel about her, but I'm afraid that if I tell her now, she won't believe that I want more than...a roll in the hay; that I want a lifetime with her...as my wife; my best friend; yes and my lover.' Sam shook his head, sadly.

Across the room; Liz was watching Susan and Max was watching Sam.

"Those two are so in love with each other, but their not declaring their love for each other is making them miserable." Liz whispered to Max who nodded his agreement.

"It has to be their decision, but maybe we could scope out their feelings; help them act on them." Max whispered back.

"I bet they think that two weeks is too early to declare their feelings, no matter how strong those feelings are." Liz theorized.

"Why don't we each take one of them and spend some time with them tomorrow?" Max suggested.

"Sounds good, but for now, let's go back to the party." Liz smiled as she nodded towards Susan and Sam; who had gravitated towards each other again and were holding hands and laughing at something Alex and Isabel were telling them.

Author's note: Just a reminder: Phillip and Sue are 21. Max, Liz, Mason and Cheryl are 49. Aunt Susan is 53 and Sam Jones is 63 years old. (All are in great shape and ready for some lovin' !)

Was It A Dream? Part 30

Sunday turned out to be cold and rainy, so after church services, the Blairs, the Guerins and Susan and Sam all came over to the Evans house to enjoy a huge pot of stew and join in playing some old family games throughout the afternoon.

"Right hand on a purple spot; I might be limber, but I'm not double-jointed!" Amy Guerin complained as she tried to reach over her brother, Marc and around Dee to touch the properly colored spot on the plastic mat, while keeping her left foot on the green circle. "Whose idea was it for us to play Twister?"

"It was Uncle Michael's idea." Dee grunted as she tried to hold her position; a backward arch over Sue. "And I'll get him back for it if it's the last thing I do before I become Permanently PARALIZED!"

"Hey just think of it as great practice for the limbo contest I'm gong to start up after you kids are finished playing this." Michael said from his comfortable seat on the couch.

"Arrrgh!" All of the kids groaned as they collapsed in a heap on top of each other.

'Maybe this would be a good time for me to ask Mom and Mrs. Evans about which of their wedding dresses I should wear.' Sue thought to herself, as Phil pulled her up from her sprawled position on the floor.

"Why don't you guys levitate Mr. Guerin and use him as the pole?" Sue suggested to Phil loudly. "I'm going to talk to my mom for a minute."

"Ooh, what a great idea, Sue. I can tell you're going to fit right into our little community after we're married!" Phil said, with an evil grin on his face. "Hey Marcus, come over here and help me for a minute!"

Sue didn't even pause to look back, when she heard Michael give a yelp of fear and her other friends laughing.

"Uh Mom, may I speak to you for a moment?" Sue asked Cheryl, who had been leaning against the kitchen counter, idly talking to Liz.

"Sure honey."

"Um, well, I've been thinking about what my wedding dress should look like and I was wondering if you still had yours...and could I see it?"

"Well, actually, sweetheart, I don't still have my dress, because I never had what you would call a proper wedding dress." Cheryl said.

"What?" Sue asked. "But I've seen your wedding pictures many times and you were wearing a long, white dress."

"It was a long, white dress, yes, but as nice as it was, it was jut a simple cotton dress, which I already had in my closet, because long dresses were in style at the time. Don't misunderstand me, our wedding was one of the happiest days of my life, especially with all your Aunt Susan did to make it special for us, but everything happened at the last minute and I didn't have time to buy a special dress, or have one made."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mom." Sue said sadly.

"No need to be sad, honey; as I said, the day I married your father was one of the happiest days of my life and it didn't have anything to do with what I wore."

"I think Sue is more worried than sad, because she doesn't want you to be upset with her...or me...for offering to show her...my wedding dress." Liz explained, gently.

"Oh Liz, that is so nice of you!" Cheryl told her friend and smiled as she turned to Sue. "I am a little upset that I can't give you my dress to wear, but if Liz is willing to let you wear hers'...and you like it...I think that would be just great."

"Thanks Mom, I didn't want you to be upset that Mrs. Evans had made the offer..." Sue said, relieved.

"Liz do you think we could go see your dress now?" Cheryl asked.

"Sure, I took it out of storage, last week and it's in our room; come on." Liz gestured mother and daughter back into the bedroom wing.

"Here it is." Liz said, as she hung the dress up from the top of the closet door.

"Oh Mrs. Evans, it's beautiful!" Sue exclaimed.

"Would you like to try it on?" Liz asked and Sue nodded her eyes huge. "Let us help you then..."

"Oh sweetheart, what a picture you make!" Cheryl smiled through glistening eyes, at her beautiful daughter, a few minutes later.

"It fits like it was made for me!" Sue exclaimed, as she twirled around.

"You know who should be in here with us, is your Aunt Susan. Would you like for her and Maria to come in here?" Liz asked.

"Yes please." Sue answered and Liz called Maria, sub-vocally. A moment later, Maria and Susan were knocking on the door.

"You wanted to see us, Liz?" Maria asked, as both women came into the room and then saw Sue. "Oh honey, you look gorgeous, just like Liz did!" Maria exclaimed.

Suzie, oh you look lovely!" Susan added her praise as she clapped her hands, excitedly.

Sue turned and looked at herself in the full length mirror. She saw a pretty, young woman and had a hard time realizing that it was her own reflection. The dress had a sweetheart cut to the tight bodice and a tight waist as well, before it flared out over her slim hips and fell to the floor in gentle folds.

"I'm a little worried about it being a sleeveless dress, since we will be married at Christmas." Sue mentioned.

"I was thinking about that." Liz agreed. "What if I added tight, lace sleeves, with a pattern which will work with the border of your robe?"

"Oh that sounds pretty and the lace will help keep my arms warm too." Sue agreed.

"What sort of veil did you wear, Liz?" Cheryl asked.

"I didn't wear one, actually." Liz answered. "I had my hair piled up on top of my head and then we put some ribbons at the back of my head and they streamed down my back."

"Oh that sounds pretty, Sue." Cheryl said, thinking that her daughter might like to do the same thing.

"Yes it certainly does...but if you don't mind, I'd really like to wear a veil of some sort, with my hair down, underneath it."

"No of course we don't mind, Sue." Liz replied, smiling. "What would you think of a lace veil, to match your sleeves? The lace would show up beautifully with your lovely, long hair left down, beneath it. "

"Oh I like that idea very much!" Sue exclaimed.

"Hey in there, may I come in for a minute?" Mason called through the bedroom door and Cheryl went to open it.

"What do you think, Mase, doesn't our daughter look beautiful?" Cheryl asked.

"Oh...my...yes..." Mason sighed as he looked over at his little girl, forgetting the wireless phone he held in his hand until Cheryl heard a voice yelling from the headset.

"Dad, hey Dad; you still there?"

"Honey, is that Matt on the phone?" Cheryl asked her husband.

"Huh, what? Matt? Okay, yeah. Sue, your brother called and now he just wants to say hi to you." He held out the handset and Sue came over to take it from her father.

"Hey, Matt."

Hey, Sue, what happened to Dad just now?" Matt Blair asked his older sister.

"Nothing happened, it's just that he came in and saw me trying on my wedding dress."

"Wedding!...Dress?...What?" Matt exclaimed.

"Matt, I called and told you, two weeks ago that Phillip Evans and I are getting married at Christmas; you can't have forgotten already!"

"Oh yeah, yeah, sorry. It's been really hectic here; between acting classes, college classes, dance classes and rehearsals for the new musical I'm in, I guess I have insufficient memory in my brain!" Matt chuckled.

"The life of a budding, young actor!" Sue giggled at her younger brother, who was attending college in New York, while pursuing a career in stage acting.

"Hey with two actors for parents, what else could I do?" He asked.

"Become a molecular biologist, like your big sister, rather than continuing to be the 'ham' you've always been!" Sue bantered back.

At least I'm a talented ham!" Matt rejoined.

"But ham is still the key word in that sentence." Sue laughed and then changed subjects. "So, how are your Academic courses going?"

"Pretty well, how about your classes...never mind that, I know you're acing them...is this Phillip of yours treating you right?"

"Of course he is, you dunce and so are his parents, his aunts and uncles, his cousins and all of his friends; can't you feel the love oozing through the phone lines?"

"Is that why my hands feel so sticky?" Matt asked, deadpan.

"You will be able to get away from the theatre over Christmas, won't you, so you can be at my wedding; Phil will be calling you soon, he wants you to be one of his groomsmen."

"Of course I'm coming to your wedding; it's all been arranged. I was just teasing you earlier about not remembering. It's so strange, thinking of you all grown up and getting married."

"Just you wait, your time will come." Sue warned him.

"You don't know how right you are; that was just my cue, I've gotta run. See you at Thanksgiving." And Matt hung up and ran to take his place on stage.

"Matt's coming for Thanksgiving?" Sue asked her parents after she put the handset down.

"Yes, I though we'd told you." Cheryl said.

"Where are we going to celebrate this year?" Sue asked.

Actually we were thinking of asking Max, Liz and their kids to come join us at our home in California for a change." Cheryl turned to Liz. "I know that would mean you leaving the rest of your extended family and friends, here, but Mason and I thought it would be nice to return a small portion of your hospitality and it would be a chance for our two families to get together in a more intimate atmosphere, as a small group."

"I'm sure that we'd all love to spend Thanksgiving at your house, Cheryl." Liz said. "Let me talk to Max and the kids and I'll give you an answer in the next few days; if not before you have to leave us this evening." Liz turned to Sue.

"But I'm afraid all of you kids will have to be leaving in about half an hour, Sue. Let me help you take your dress off." She said with a significant wink to her future daughter-in-law. "I'll sew the sleeves and your veil and maybe bring the dress with me at Thanksgiving."

"Oh thank you so much for everything!" Sue said as the two women hugged.

"Now then, no reason for tears...unless you miss your flight; Mason, would you excuse us please?"

Mason left, the dress was carefully taken off and a half hour later, the kids were boarding their plane and headed back to Cambridge.

"Well now we adults can have a chance for some peaceful conversation." Liz smiled happily at Susan, after they all returned to the house; after seeing the kids off.

As discussed with Mason and Cheryl beforehand, Liz threaded her arm through Susan's and guided her over to one sofa, while Max lead Sam over to sit on another, on the other side of the room; this was the first chance they had, had to speak privately with Susan and Sam. Each of them acted instinctively, asking the same questions.

"It seems like you and Sam/Sue have become pretty close." Max and Liz asked their respective friend.

"Yes." Susan smiled, blushing a little and looking down at her hands. "It's incredible how much we have in common, I feel as though I've known him for years."

"Yes." Sam said, smiling as he looked over at Sue. "No matter what we do together, I feel so comfortable with her; as if I've known her for years."

"Am I wrong or have I noticed something more than friendship arc between the two of you when your eyes lock?" Max and Liz teased, gently.

"Um yes, I...yes there's more than friendship between us, at least I hope there is." Susan glanced over at Sam.

"Are you playing Dutch uncle, here?" Sam asked, keeping eye contact with Max. "Wouldn't that be Mason's job, if it's anyone's? Susan is a mature, self-sufficient lady; she can take care of herself. But to answer your question, yes I feel more than friendship for Susan, I'll even go as far as to say that I would like to become the man in her life with the right to care and protect her."

"After an answer like that, I have to ask; do you love him/her?"

"Yes, yes I think I do!" Susan answered, but with tears swimming in her eyes.

"Of course I do, isn't that just what I said?" Sam demanded. "I can't believe she's still single; are all other men blind and stupid?"

"Have you...told him/her?" Max and Liz asked cautiously, already knowing the answer.

"Oh no, I couldn't." Susan said. "I mean, I know he cares for me, but we've only known each other for two weeks; I'm afraid I'd look like a desperate old maid if I told him that I'm in love with him now."

"No...I haven't told her how deeply my feelings for her, run. Man, I'm ten years older than she is and retired. Two weeks is too soon; I don't want to look like some dirty old man."

"I don't think two weeks is too soon for you to be honest about your feelings for each other. As you said, you two aren't exactly hormone riddled teenagers, who don't know the difference between love and...lust. You're both mature adults, who know a little something about what you want in a man/woman. Think about the quality of time, rather than the quantity of time you've spent together. I've seen you in many a long conversation, over the last two weeks. I mean, it certainly is your decision, whether to tell him/her how you feel, but I think being honest could only help your relationship."

"Do you...really think so?" Susan and Sam both asked. "Oh but he's/she's busy talking to Max/Liz."

"He's/she's talking to Max/Liz about the same thing we have been. I'm sorry, but we couldn't see the two of you so miserable without trying to help. Why don't you go into the living room and talk to him/her?"

Susan and Sam looked over at the other and got caught in each other's gazes. As one, they rose from their seats and walked towards the living room. Sam extended his hand and Susan took it, as they walked through the dining room, into the living room, shutting the door behind them.

"It's been over an hour and we haven't heard a peep from in there." Cheryl noted.

"You're right, I can't stand it anymore, let's go peek through the keyhole." Liz said and all four of them tip-toed through the front hall, to the door leading into the living room.

"Still don't hear anything." Mason said, after he had put his ear up to the door.

He then slowly and silently turned the door knob and opened the door about half an inch. The ladies crouched down low and the men peered over each other's shoulders. What they saw brought quiet sighs of pleasure from Cheryl and Liz and silly grins to Max and Mason's lips.

Sitting on the sofa, with his stocking feet perched on the coffee-table; his knees drawn up a little, was Sam, with Susan laying across his lap; her back supported by his legs, his left arm wrapped around her shoulder. They were both smiling, lovingly at each other and talking softly; while Susan was running her fingers through his hair and Sam was stroking her cheekbones and lips. Mason shut the door as the older couple pulled each other close for a passionate kiss.

They started to cheer and the ladies were jumping up and down; clapping their hands, but Max shushed them and they all tip-toed back into the family room again. The four of them had another half hour to wait until Sam and Susan came out of the living room. Their arms were around each other and they were hardly watching where they were going, because they had eyes only for one another. Finally they faced their friends, who were not doing a very good job of hiding their grins.

"We have announcement." Sam said. "Susan has made me a very happy man, by agreeing to become my wife!"

"No, love, you have that backwards; Sam has made me a very happy woman, by agreeing to become my husband!" Susan countered and both of them leaned into the other for an intense kiss, while their friends clapped and cheered. Finally they broke apart and came to sit by their friends.

"We know that this is very sudden, even after your encouragement and we still have some things to figure out; Susan still has her career in California and her home there as well."

"And Sam has his gorgeous home, here." Susan added. "So maybe I'll retire early, but whatever we decide, we don't want to wait forever to get married..."

"We'd like to be married at Thanksgiving and Susan really wants the ceremony to be held at her parish church, near her home."

"That would work out perfectly, you two." Cheryl enthused. "We've told Susan, but haven't had a chance to tell you, Sam; Mason and I were planning on having our two families and you and Susan, of course, to Thanksgiving dinner at our home, in California. Of course you may want to invite others from Airatan or from the military, to your wedding, but at least our family can get together on Thanksgiving."

"Hey, that sounds great!" Sam agreed.

"We have just one thing...and maybe all of you can help us decide." Susan said. "I think Sam would look so handsome and...scrumptious...wearing his Air Force uniform, with all of his medals..."

"...but I'm retired from the military and besides, I know that we both like the idea of wearing Antarian robes...but would that be appropriate, since neither of us is Antarian and we wouldn't be getting married here in Airatan; could two humans even do that alien trick to create our special design?"

"I'm sure we could help you create your special design and we can probably come up with a compromise between a military uniform and an Antarian robe for you Sam, while Susan could still wear her robe over whatever dress she picks out. But in the end, these are things the two of you will have to decide." Max said.

"Yeah, we do still have some important things to think about." Susan said, before she leaned in to kiss Sam again.

"We'll work everything out together." Sam agreed, after they both came up for air.

TBC


	7. Parts 31 thru 35

Was It A Dream? Part 31-35

After the incident at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Mason had called Max to tell him that quite a few reporters who had been covering the Fiesta, had made contact with his office, requesting interviews. And now the word was spreading that Mason and Cheryl Blair had a set of identical twins. Luckily no one was asking about Niko Giuliani and his wild claims of alien involvement. So on Wednesday of the next week, after Sam and Susan had announced their engagement; Max, Liz and Sam flew into L.A. Johann and Louise had become very familiar with the route, as they were either ferrying Susan to Airatan or Sam into L.A. each weekend.

A press conference was scheduled for the next morning and the friends would stay in L.A. over the weekend. Liz and Cheryl with disguises in place, would start helping Susan search for a wedding dress; while Mason had invited Max and Sam on a tour of the studio and the warehouses which still held the props and costumes from the movie and TV show; "Among Us'. And of course Sam would spend any time he could with his beloved fiancée, Susan, although they were still staying apart at night, wanting to wait until their wedding night, to make love together, for the first time.

On Thursday morning, Mason, Cheryl, Max and Liz entered an auditorium at the studio, which was filled to bursting with reporters. Mason and Max took turns reading a censored statement detailing the facts of the two couples' friendship, and then they opened the floor to questions; many of which would have them repeating the information already given in their statement. In these instances, the four of them tried to elaborate their answers with anecdotes, to make them more fun and interesting. Incredibly, no one seemed interested at all in why Liz and Cheryl; and Mason and Max looked alike. They all took Mason's word that there was no family relationship between them and dismissed the necessity for blood tests.

"Tell us how you met; weren't you startled when you saw a couple who looked exactly like yourselves?" One reporter asked and all four friends grinned at each other, remembering what had happened when they had met.

"Liz and I were in Roswell, New Mexico for our wedding. Liz had grown up there and her parents owned a café in town. I had driven over there to pick Liz up and saw her coming out the front door..." Max started and then Mason continued.

"Cheryl and I were in Roswell to film some scenes for our first movie together; 'The Royal Four, Among Us'. Our producer had warned us that 'Sneaky John' Giuliani wanted to get some candid shots of the two of us, as we walked around town, so we set off to sight-see."

"When we passed the Crashdown Café, I went inside to use the restroom but Mason stayed outside." Cheryl told her part. "When I came back out the front door, Mason was there and he called out 'Liz' which was my character's name in the movie and then he swept me into his arms and kissed me...boy I remember that kiss!" Cheryl grinned and looked over to a blushing...Max, while the reporters chuckled.

"But what had actually happened was that I had been pacing up and down the sidewalk and saw Cheryl walking through the side alley from the back door of the café. I thought she called out 'Matt' which was my character's name in the movie and then she launched herself at me. I thought that Sneaky John must have been nearby, snapping pictures, so I caught her in my arms and we kissed." Mason grinned over at a blushing...Liz.

"That's what I had thought was happening as well." Cheryl said. "But soon after we started that really great kiss, the young man I thought was Mason Blair broke it off and I found out that he wasn't Mason, but Max Evans!" Cheryl chuckled.

"Same here." Mason said. "I was just thinking that we weren't just sharing a stage kiss...this was a really...great kiss, when the young woman I thought was Cheryl Appleton broke it off and I found out that her name was Liz Parker! The four of us found each other right after that and we introduced ourselves and that was that."

"Well, except for those photos." Liz added. They had all agreed on what to say and wanted to get as much of the truth out.

"Photos, what photos?" A reporter called out; caught up in their tale.

"Sneaky John had taken some great candid shots over the next day or two, but Cheryl and I realized that they weren't of the two of us; we had never worn those clothes or been to that part of town..." Mason gave examples.

"We realized that John had caught Max and Liz...kissing, hugging...or gazing intently into each other's eyes. You all have probably seen those pictures we used to promote the movie and then the TV series...they were so sweet, romantic and perfect because they were taken of a real couple in love; Max and Liz." Cheryl said.

"We felt awful that Max and Liz's private lives had been intruded upon and we told them about the pictures right away. They were upset of course, but the four of us decided to pass them off as pictures of Cheryl and me and therefore draw no more unwanted attention onto our shy alter-egos." Mason said.

"Wow, so all those promotional pictures, which were said to have really set the standard for how 'Matt and Liz' were to be portrayed were really pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Evans? Did meeting them have any effect on how you played your rolls?" A reporter asked.

"Boy, did it ever." Mason answered and Cheryl nodded her agreement. "I believe that meeting Max and Liz brought a far richer, deeper feeling to my portrayal of 'Matt Devon' and his relationship with 'Liz Barker'. Once you see two soul-mates together it's much easier to play the part."

The rest of the conference went on in this vein; professional, friendly; with no sly innuendoes or hostile attacks. When it was over, the reporters began to file out, but the four friends did not see one man who stayed behind, sitting quietly in his seat, or when he approached them.

"Mr. Evans?" He said and all four of them turned around and it took them a moment for recognition to come.

"Mr. Hudson?" Max asked as they all made brief, worried eye contact; the real Mr. Hudson.

"Yes sir. When I heard about this press conference, I had to come. I wanted to apologize about leaving your town in the middle of the night, without saying goodbye or even leaving a note of explanation, but I just couldn't be a part of what Giuliani and the rest of that group were up to."

"We thought that might have been the case." Max replied. "It showed your honor and integrity." Mr. Hudson looked a little bashful.

"Thank you for saying that, but it all worked out in my favor. None of the others are going to be writing about their time in Airatan, because they don't want to be linked with Niko Giuliani and the insane accusations he made. Now that you have held this press conference, my editor will give me the go-ahead to print my story...an exclusive...about your charming town, generous citizens and now the background on your intriguing friendships and your' loving marriages. I'll write only the truth and that will put the last nail in Niko's professional coffin and maybe give a boost to mine."

"Well thank you for that and good luck to you." Max stuck out his hand and Mr. Hudson shook each of their hands before leaving.

"Good guy, Mr. Hudson; his absence helped us and now it's helping his career." Max said, as all four of them left the auditorium, as well.

Sam and Susan had stayed out of sight during the press conference and afterwards, Mason took the men on a tour of the studio; something Liz would have liked to do as well, but she wanted to help Susan shop for her wedding dress even more. Over lunch, well disguised Cheryl and Liz tried to help Susan narrow down what she really wanted.

"I have several factors to consider." Susan told her friends. "At my age I can't really go with the long dress and veil; virginal bride ensemble, but I don't just want to wear a suite like many...mature...women would. Then there's the issue of both Sam and I wanting to wear you-know-what-kind-of-robes, but since we aren't getting married in Airatan, they'll probably have to be modified somehow. So what should I wear under my robe?"

"I've been puzzling over that as well." Liz said. "That's why I haven't even started to make your robes; but I think I have an idea and I saw a dress which would work beautifully."

So, as soon as they finished eating, the three ladies returned to the shop where Liz had seen the dress she had in mind.

"Are you Kidding me?" Susan asked in a fierce whisper. "There is No Way I'm going to wear a see-through, lace dress!"

"Normally a bride would wear a slip-dress underneath it, but you would wear the lace dress underneath your robe." Liz explained. "I think that both you and Sam will need to wear a half robe/half long coat; a calf-length robe with sleeves." Cheryl's eyes lit up as she began to understand Liz's plan.

"This lace dress in high necked, long sleeved and just the right length to peak out a few inches from beneath a calf-length robe. You would look very proper, a mature bride...at your wedding and reception." Cheryl and Liz grinned at each other. "But afterwards, when the two of you are alone...and Sam takes that robe off of you..."

"Oh my goodness, you two are wicked...and oh so clever, I can't wait to try your idea!" Susan exclaimed and getting into the fantasy of her wedding night, asked. "What do you think I should wear underneath the lace...or rather, what shouldn't I wear underneath the lace?"

"Mmm...just some lacy underwear, garter-belt and hose..." Liz suggested, dreamily, knowing how Max loved...lacy things. "I can tailor your dress and robe so that you don't need anything else.

Susan bought the dress, a small, white hat and a few...lacy things and then they went home. That night, Liz would explain to Sam what she had in mind for their robes.

"What I was thinking of making for both of you are calf-length robes, but with long leaves, so they look like 19th century gentleman's coats. I'm not sure whether to put collars and lapels on them though." Liz explained that night, after the six of them had enjoyed eating dinner together. They were now in the Blair's living room, sipping coffee.

As I recall seeing pictures of those gentleman's coats, they did have collars and lapels, so maybe you should include them in your design, to make them look authentic." Sam suggested. "We could change them into proper Antarian robes, by taking the sleeves, collar and lapels off, afterwards." Sam cocked an inquisitive brow at Susan, as he brought her hand up to his lips, so he could kiss her knuckles.

"I like Sam's suggestion." Susan agreed, after the two lovers were able to pull their gazes away from each other. "I was wondering about their color. Will we both wear white? There was the idea that maybe Sam's would look like a military uniform."

"Yes, I've been thinking about that as well." Liz said.

"That's my love, the girl with a plan." Max remarked, lovingly.

"I was thinking..." Liz continued, after smiling lovingly back at Max. "...that since Sam has become a member of Airatan's security team, his robe should be blue with silver embroidery, as those who belonged to the Antarian Military and Peace-keeping Forces made theirs."

"Blue would be a more appropriate color for Sam to wear and then he could pin all of his medals onto his chest, as well." Susan smiled proudly at her fiancé.

"Would Susan's embroidery be silver as well?" Sam asked. "For me, especially for our wedding, I think that silver would be too flashy. What would you think of blue embroidery on blue fabric for my robe and white on white for Susan's?"

"That's a good point, Sam." Susan agreed.

"Yes, good point." Liz said, while nodding thoughtfully. "Once the robes are finished, we'll see what your sub-consciences say about that idea; that is where your individual designs come from after all."

The couples chatted about other topics for awhile, before retiring to their rooms for the night. Susan had scheduled a couple days off from work and was staying at the Blairs' house as well, so she would not have to make the long drive home, late at night and could spend more time with her friends, over the weekend. Max and Liz; and Mason and Cheryl left to go to their rooms first, in order to give Sam and Susan some privacy in which to say goodnight. They were staying in separate rooms, with the two married couples in between them. But separate rooms only worked if you walked up the stairs and stayed in those separate spaces. The two lovers did not want to be parted so soon, so they stayed seated on the sofa, together.

"It's one thing for me to stay away from you at night, when there's hundreds of miles between us, but now that there are only a few yards between your room and mine..." Sam said.

"Would you...rather not...wait until our wedding?" Susan asked, almost hoping that Sam would say that he did not want to wait.

"Oh man, Susan, you know I want you now or at any time for that matter...and I'm pretty sure you feel the same..." Sam looked intently into Susan's downcast eyes and she nodded, shyly. "But as fantastic as I know our first time together will be, no matter when, I think it will be all the more special if we wait."

"And something would be missing on our wedding night if we didn't wait." Susan agreed.

"That doesn't mean that I can't...kiss you..." Sam whispered as he came in to kiss each of her lowered eyelids.

"...or that I can't...touch you...a little..." Susan said, as she gripped his strong shoulder muscles.

"...or that we can't snuggle a little..." Sam drew Susan down on top of him, until they were both lying on the couch together; kissing, stroking and whispering together.

"So...Mason thinks you're a great kisser, huh?" Max teased Liz, once they reached their bedroom and shut the door behind them.

"And Cheryl really liked how you kissed her?" Liz stepped closer to Max and he drew her tightly into his strong arms.

"I thought I was kissing you and you thought you were kissing me." Max said, as Liz tip-toed up, brushing her body against his and put her arms around his neck, pulling his head down for a deep, intense kiss.

"Mmm, but it only took a moment for me to realize that it wasn't you." Liz sighed as they both came up for air. "Your taste and scent just weren't there..."

"Same here and I missed our connection as well." Max said, gazing into her beloved eyes as he bent down and picked her slight weight up in his arms and carried her to their bed.

"Oooh, Max." Liz sighed as he let her slide slowly down his body, until her feet met the floor.

"I've always loved how great a kisser you are." Liz said; before Max brought his lips down to kiss hers again.

"Your kisses are the best." Max said quickly, before diving back for more.

Their kisses and caresses became more urgent; more heated and they started to work on opening each other's shirt buttons. They broke apart as they felt the last buttons give way and backed up a little so they could both watch, as they pushed the garments off each other's shoulders. Max quickly, but gently removed Liz's extra upper covering, so that they had an equal view of the other.

"Your body is so..." They both sighed, before Max picked Liz back up and gently deposited her onto their bed and quickly rid both of them of their shoes, socks and slacks. Then he 'felt' Liz's lips calling him back and Max lay down beside her, supporting the weight of his upper body on his arms, as he answered the call and kissed her again and again; on her lips, on her chin...and a little while later they followed the path of his adventurous fingertips, as they made their way down his wife's gorgeous body...

The next morning, Mason and Cheryl woke up, happily cuddled together in their intimate love-nest. They had, had a similar conversation to the one Max and Liz had, had the night before and the results had been very much the same.

"Give me a kiss, oh king of all kissers!" Cheryl requested with twinkling eyes.

"As you command, my queen of hearts." Mason thoroughly...performed his duty.

"Mmmm, what time is it?" Cheryl asked, several minutes later and Mason looked over at the clock on the nightstand.

"Oh man, it's nine thirty!" Mason exclaimed, but didn't move.

"Well, what do you expect after keeping me up half the night with your delicious, torturous kisses...and caresses...and loving?" Cheryl asked as she stretched languidly, making Mason groan.

"My torturous...loving?...it's you and those long eyelashes of yours, which are torturous!"

"I'm sorry, I though those were moans of ecstasy; not moans of pain...I promise to never use my...eyelashes on you again." Cheryl said, demurely.

"Well...don't make any hasty decisions before you've had your morning coffee." Mason warned her.

"Ohh, coffee sounds good..." Cheryl sighed.

"Why don't I go make you some and then you'll be better able to...change your mind about...how you torture me, my love."

"Mmm, okay, I'll be waiting...for you to return to me..." Cheryl said, and then she arched her back and tucked her hands up, under her head.

"Thirty seconds flat...I'll be back in thirty seconds!" Mason exclaimed and grabbing his robe, he bolted out the bedroom door.

Down in the kitchen a frantic Mason found a fully clothed Sam just pouring a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

"Oh thank you so much for making coffee, Sam; you'll never know how much this means to me." Mason exclaimed as he found a lovely china cup in the cupboard and placed it on the counter.

"Of course I understand, Mason; remember, I was married before, years ago...and this cup is for Susan." Sam indicated a small tray with two coffee-filled mugs already set aside.

"Ah I see pure living agrees with you if you're up and dressed already, Sam." Max said, as he came into the kitchen. "You've made coffee already, bless you. No sleepless night; no tossing and turning? You're a stronger man than I."

"No, I slept like a log, thanks, Max." Sam said, as he casually picked up his tray and started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Wait a minute, Sam...aren't those the same clothes you were wearing last night? And you aren't showered or shaved...by the look of your bed-hair." Mason finally noted.

"I thought you two had decided to wait?" Max asked gently; curiously.

"We did, we are." Sam said. "Nothing happened...except we...fell asleep together on the sofa last night, that's all."

"Ah yes, cuddling on the couch; one of my favorite activities to do with Liz." Max stated, remembering their college days...and the week before.

"Yes the sofa; dangerous territory for Cheryl and I, even if we are fully clothed. Better watch out Sam; you don't want to put too much temptation in your path."

"So, is Susan still in the living room? I didn't see her when I came down." Max asked.

"Uh no, she's up in her room." Sam answered.

He had awoken to the feel the sweet weight of his fiancé plastered on top of him; her head resting on his chest and tucked under his chin. Her hands had been under his shirt along the side of is ribs. His arms held her to him, one hand on her hip the other on her slacks-covered bottom. Somehow, with what he felt was superhuman will and a lot of stupidity, he had managed to slide out from under Susan; pick her up in his arms and carry her upstairs to her room, where he tucked her in under her comforter, still fully clothed, except for her shoes and come downstairs to make a Big pot of coffee.

"Well, don't let us keep you from delivering your lady's coffee to her." Mason said.

"Same here; I'm sure that you two white knights...uh sorry...noble king," to Max; "were down here to pour coffee for your lady..." Sam nodded to Mason. "And your queen." Sam bowed to Max, before walking out the kitchen door with a smirk on his face.

"Oh yeah!" They both exclaimed loudly; lunging for the coffee pot.

Part 32

The next weekend, something interesting happened, which would help Susan and Sam make the decisions they needed to, before their wedding. Susan was in Airatan once again and staying with Max and Liz, since Sam had taken Mason's advice; about putting too much temptation into his own path and had asked his friends if she could stay with them. Susan had come back from her early morning horseback ride with Sam and had showered and changed, when someone knocked at the Evans' front door. Liz had her hands full with preparations for a special dinner that night and asked Susan to answer the door.

"Hello? Oh, Miss Smith, isn't it?" Susan asked the small, older woman who stood at the door.

"Yes, Joan Smith, Miss Nelson; the Community's public librarian. We met when Sam Jones brought you by the library once, a few weeks ago."

"Yes of course; won't you come in? Liz is in the kitchen..." Susan led the way.

"Thank you, but it was you I came to see." Miss Smith told her.

"Me? Well all right; um if you'd like some privacy we could sit in the living room."

"I wouldn't mind sitting in the family room, or the kitchen; it might be helpful to you if Liz hears what I have to say as well."

"What's this about, Joan?" Liz asked, as all three women sat down at the kitchen table.

"I have a job offer for Miss Nelson."

"Please call me Susan. What sort of job offer?"

"I want to offer you my job, as community librarian. I have wanted to retire for some time now, but none of our college-kids have shown interest in becoming a librarian...there are several young children, who might grow up and get their Master's in library science, but in the meantime I've been leery of hiring someone from the outside."

"But it's been years since college or my first few jobs which were in public libraries and a school library; I've worked in medical libraries ever since." Susan pointed out.

"Ah so you do have experience with public libraries; I wasn't certain about that. I'm sure you could make the transition easily and I would be nearby to answer any of your questions." Joan started on her sales-pitch. "Our people use the library heavily...but there just aren't that many of us living here, so there are never all that many patrons using the library at any one time. Plus you have a small staff to help cover all of the hours the library is open. Besides," Joan continued. "This might be an opportunity for you to step back a little; slow down and be able to spend more time with your new husband and yet not really retire if you don't want to, yet."

"I haven't decided what to do, yet. I would really love to live here, with Sam, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to retire. I want to be useful." Susan admitted.

"Oh you'd be that, my dear." Joan nodded. "Also, Dr. Wang and our other clinic personnel have a need you may be able to fill, but than I. Over the years, I have kept up a small medical collection for them, since even now not everything is on the Internet; publishers being what they are. I have had some success using inter-library loan, to get them journal articles and textbooks they need from university libraries, but I just don't have the contacts that you would have."

"Hmm, better access to medical information would be well worth looking into." Susan agreed. "Wow, that is something I'll really have to think about and speak to Sam about. Let me do that and then I'll get back to you with all sorts of questions in a day or two."

"Good enough; come by the library any time and I'll show you around in more detail." Joan said, as the women shook hands before she left.

Susan and Sam and Max and Liz did talk about Joan Smith's job offer and what it would mean to them. Susan would have to give notice at her current position, as soon as possible, so that they could hire someone new and she might be able to start familiarizing that person to her job, before she left. Sue would have to sell her home; something which made her sad, but which also made her happy, because she really wanted to move to Airatan and she and Sam had already had some discussions about how they could incorporate her feminine personality into Sam's house; their new home. And they discussed all the possibilities this job would open up for her; being in charge of her own library, rather than being a part of someone else's staff. Setting up the information services for the medical personnel in town; and then having more time to spend on personal interests...including her new husband.

"We can go by the library tomorrow and speak to Joan together; get more specifics about salary, staffing and things like that." Sam assured her when Susan admitted how much she wanted to accept the job offer.

"At least my director at the hospital has been expecting me to quit or retire ever since I told her I was getting married; it won't be such a shock to any of them, when I give them my notice on Monday." Susan said.

Sam flew back to California with Susan, to help her set up her house for sale. When her real estate agent learned that she was getting married and moving into Sam's house, she suggested that Susan might like to sell her house as a furnished unit, including her plates, pots and pans, etc.

"Your cozy little home is just right for first-time buyers and very often they don't have much in the way of furniture and kitchen basics. Of course, you would take anything of yours you want, with you and if the buyer doesn't need your furniture, I can help you sell it, but making the furniture available might help sell the house."

"I think that's a great idea." Susan said and Sam agreed with her.

Her house had only been on the market for a week when it was sold to a young couple who were just starting out in married life. They were renting a furnished apartment and they had loved how Susan had decorated her home, especially her furniture, which they bought and promised to take good care of. The timing would work out well, as Susan didn't want to move out until just before Thanksgiving and the younger couple couldn't move in until just after the holiday. Sam had figured out ways to incorporate and display all of Susan's books, movies, nick-knacks and art work into their home, so they started packing up all of her personal belongings, as well as her off-season clothing.

On the first day of November, Liz called Susan to tell her that she had finished sewing their robes and suggested that Sue fly into Airatan that weekend, to try hers on.

"And then we could perform the robe and ring ceremony; with Max's help, couldn't we?" Susan asked her friend, excitedly.

"Yes of course." Liz agreed with a smile in her voice, before they hung up.

That weekend then, Susan flew in and was met at the town entrance by an equally excited Sam.

"Mmm hello love." He greeted her with an intense kiss and a tight hug.

"Hello to you too!" Susan returned his hug and kiss. "You're excited about this too?"

"Of course I am; every step we take brings us closer to the day when you become my wife; I can hardly wait."

"Neither can I, Sam, neither can I." Susan said, kissing him again before getting into Sam's car.

At the same time, in Cambridge, Phillip and Sue were up in the Phil's room, with their textbooks out and spread all over his bed as the two of them...lay among their scattered notes and studied...each other.

"You have...eight freckles running in a cute little line across the bridge of your nose." Phillip noted, before he brought his lips down and kissed each and every one of those cute, little freckles.

"Mmm and I see those three tiny flecks of green are back in your eyes; they aren't always there..." Sue stated, while they gazed into each other's eyes, after their last bout of kissing.

"I wonder if they'll stay if I kiss each of your eyelids." Sue matched action to words as she gave each tiny surface three little kisses.

Sue groaned a little as she felt Phillip's gorgeous long eyelashes brush against her lips and let her own long lashes flutter their way over his cheek and down to his lips to tickle him the same way. Phillip brought one hand up under Sue's chin to reposition her lips over his.

"This was how Dee found them, when she lightly knocked on Phil's half-opened door and came into the room; books and papers scattered all over the bed, with Phillip lying on his back, on top of the whole mess and Sue lying on top of him; her hands caressing his face, as they kissed and Phillip's hands holding back Sue's lovely waves of long, brown hair, as their lips met and held, time after time...

"Oh no. Not again!" Dee exclaimed. "Phil didn't you hear Dad calling you over the family's frequency on the Connection?"

"Huh, what?" Phil finally broke away from Sue's drugging caresses, to ask.

"Dad's been calling us for the last ten minutes. Sam and Susan are ready to perform the robbing and ring ceremony!" Dee told them and that stopped Sue's soft fingers from inching their way under Phil's shirt.

"Aunt Susan and Sam?"

"Yeah, come down to the living room; we're all going to link in and watch." Dee said, before leaving the room.

"Come on Phil." Sue said, as she slowly moved off the bed. "As much as I want to continue studying, I want to see this ceremony too."

"Of course, sweetheart, we can come back to this later." Phil winked at Sue, before he took her hand and led her downstairs.

They were the last to arrive and took seats together on the sofa and linked hands with the kids sitting near them.

'We're here, Dad. Sorry, Sue and I were delayed.' Phil told his father sub-vocally.

'Uh huh.' Max replied, looking at his son and future daughter; their mussed clothes, hair and puffy lips, which Phil had forgotten to fix.

'Well let's start, shall we?' Max asked as he walked back to where Susan and Sam were standing. Each was wearing their new robe; modified to look like calf-length, expertly tailored suit coats. Sam was wearing his dark blue robe over a shirt and slacks of the same color, while Susan was wearing her white robe over a white blouse and slacks.

'Sam, Susan, I want you to hold each other's left hands and place your right hands on each other's upper left chests. Now close your eyes and relax, while you think about your love and feelings for each other." As he said this, Max gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

Susan gave a little gasp of surprise as she felt Max's energy shoot through her body and pass out through her hands.

"Wow, I felt that surge of energy! Did it work?" Susan asked, a moment later.

"Let's see." Max and Liz answered as Sam and Sue took their hands away.

"Oh my goodness, what a unique design!" Liz exclaimed and everyone moved closer to see.

"What is it, Susan?" Cheryl asked; she and Mason would not have missed this for the world and had flown in to Airatan that morning.

"It's three sets of horses." Susan exclaimed as she looked more closely at the picture which had been magically embroidered onto Sam's blue robe. "But they've been depicted in copper and gold, rather than a blue to match Sam's robe, as I thought they were going to do be. The male is in a gleaming copper and the female is in gold."

"I guess that's how your sub-consciousnesses pictured them." Max explained. "We can change them into blue and white embroidery for your wedding, but I think they would look great on your robes, just the way they are, afterwards."

"Tell us what each picture looks like." Dee asked, as Sam and Susan nodded their agreement to Max's suggestion.

"One pair of horses is standing facing each other, their necks rubbing against each other, their noses nuzzling into the other's mane. It looks a lot like the two-piece sculpture, which Sam and I own." Susan looked over at Michael.

"The second pair..." Sam said, looking closely at Susan's robe..."are cantering happily, side by side."

"Oh and look at the third pair, Aunt Susan." Sue said from where her astral-self stood, nearby. "The stallion is almost standing guard, while the mare rests, lying down in the grass. That is so sweet, even romantic, since the horses obviously represent the two of you!"

Max still had his hands on the older couple's shoulders and they were still holding hands, so he tried not to listen when they unwittingly had their first sub-vocal conversation.

'Sam, that first day we met...you brought me some coffee. It was in a lovely mug, which had a gorgeous picture on the outside; a dark haired man, gently stroking the neck of a filly, while the horse nuzzled her nose into the man's neck...Sam, that mug never belonged to Liz; Michael made it for you and you really wanted me to have it, even though we had just met.'

Sam just nodded, a little bashfully, a little worried.

'Was I...did the filly...represent...me?'

'Yes sweetheart, the filly was how I saw you...Not that I saw you as some great big horse." Sam clarified quickly. "I saw you as a beautiful and graceful, but skittish and shy lady, who would need some gentle handling.'

'Oh Sam!' Susan said with a sub-vocal sigh and moved into his arms.

This was when Max dropped his hands from their shoulders and stepped back. Susan was tucked into Sam's arms, his cheek resting on top of her head as she nuzzled her nose into his throat. Liz and Michael glanced at each other and grinned; they understood that the wishful picture on that mug had, just become true for their friends as Sam raised one arm from around Susan's waist to stroke her from head, to neck, to back with a gentle hand.

The group of friends gave the robed couple a few moments of privacy; each of them turning away from the tender sight of Susan and Sam in each other's arms and Sam gently stroking his love's slender back, as she placed tiny kisses on his throat and jaw.

'Um would you two like to create your rings now?' Sue asked in a timid whisper and watched as the lovers moved apart a little, but not out of each other's embrace and smiled at their family and friends.

'Yes, of course, Suzie. We took your idea and have worn each other's wedding band, on chains around our necks, even though Sam gave me an engagement ring.' Susan looked happily down at her ring finger, on which rode a circlet of rubies; Sam had understood that his Susan would not want to wear a cold diamond and found this ring, with rich and warmer-toned rubies set into a channel setting.

'Hold your rings in your clasped hands; close your eyes and relax.' Max instructed again, as he placed his hands on their shoulders and sent his energy through them one more time. 'All done.'

Sam and Susan opened their hands and found two wide, gold bands, encircled with the three, intricately inscribed horse designs, in gold and copper.

'I'm so glad I was able to see your ceremony, Aunt Susan. How are you going to arrange your special design?'

'We've talked about this and especially because of how the design turned out; we are just going to have a border running around the hem of our robes; at least for our wedding.' Susan said.

'That sounds great, you two.' Sue said, smiling. 'If you'll excuse us though, Phil and I have a lot of studying yet to do tonight, so we better say goodnight.' In truth Sue wanted to go back to Phil's room and 'roll in the hay'; well, on top of textbooks, with her own stallion.

'Goodnight Suzie, see you at Thanksgiving, if not before.' Susan called as they broke the link.

Part 33

Susan Nelson woke up on Thanksgiving morning and smiled to think that tomorrow would be her wedding day. Even though she had met Sam Jones only seven weeks ago, she loved him so much and could hardly wait for their new life together, to begin.

"Wake up sleepyhead." Susan called to her goddaughter, who slept in the twin bed next to hers, before she went into the bathroom, to shower.

While Max, Liz, Sam and Phillip were staying at Mason and Cheryl's home, along with their son; her nephew, Matt; Suzie and her two friends Libby and Dee had come to stay with her for the last two nights in her old home. To that end, aunt and niece were sharing the guestroom upstairs while the sisters shared Susan's room, downstairs.

"Good morning, you two." Susan called into her old room, as she came downstairs to make breakfast for them all.

"Morning, Aunt Susan." Libby and Dee responded.

As she started to make breakfast, Susan tried not to think how bare here little house looked this morning. Even though most of her furniture was still here, all of her art work, books, videos and special pieces of furniture; that which had helped make this house her home for so many years, had been removed. But as two tears drifted down her cheeks, the warm arm of her niece encircled her shoulders.

"I know you're going to miss this house; it's had such a special place in your life all these years, but your new home awaits you in Airatan and better yet your wonderful, loving and may I remind you...sexy husband will be there with you, as well!"

"I know Suzie, thank you for reminding me; it's just...I never thought that I'd ever marry; I resigned myself to living alone and now that I am marrying Sam, it's a Big change; a wonderful change, an exciting one too, but it's a little frightening, as well."

"I know, Aunt Susan, but everything will be fine, you'll see."

"Of course it will, Suzie." Susan dried her tears and smiled and sighed. "Just some nerves showing I guess. Now will you help me prepare breakfast by cutting up some fruit while I make the French toast?" Sue nodded and they both got started.

"I can't believe how the time has passed." Susan said as all four of them sat down to eat breakfast a short time later. "It seems like only yesterday, Sam and I were creating our robes and rings."

"Yeah and since then, you've retired from your position at the medical library and already started working at your new job, running Airatan's public library, while coordinating your wedding plans here in California and moving all of your things into yours and Sam's house." Dee said, shaking her head in admiration.

"I saw your home last week and its incredible how great it looks; different and yet the same. You know; warm and welcoming only now it has those little feminine touches here and there too." Libby said.

"And you two are flying back to your new home for your honeymoon?" Sue asked again. "Don't most people go to exotic locals for their honeymoon, Aunt Susan?"

"Many people do, but both Sam and I have done a lot of traveling...alone and we plan to travel together at a later date...but for our honeymoon, we just wanted someplace simple and comforting and secluded. We are going to pull up the drawbridge...well the elevator anyway and block the stairs...and not come out for...quite a while." Susan explained and the girls giggled at her last sentence.

"We'd better hurry girls, or we'll be late for church services; after which is the wedding rehearsal." Everyone got up from the table and gathered plates to take into the kitchen.

"Do you have your rehearsal bouquet?" Sue asked indicating the collection of ribbons kept from all their wedding gifts which they had opened yesterday and threaded through a paper plate, to create a gaudy bouquet.

"Right here." Susan said, as they headed out the door to her car.

"I can't believe this group I'm joining, that flies from one place to another in helicopters rather than driving in cars." Susan chuckled, she and the girls had been flown to her house last night by Johann, in a hired chopper; and the girl's parents and brothers were being flown in this morning, for church and the rehearsal, after which they would all fly back to L.A. for the Thanksgiving/rehearsal dinner at the Blair's house.

"Having helicopter service and private planes is sure nice though and it does save a lot of time." Sue mentioned to her aunt.

"Just be glad we were able to find a hotel smack-dab in between here and L.A. for everyone else who's coming to the wedding; so that they can drive to your church or to the Blair's house within forty minutes or so; otherwise we'd have a swarm of helicopters flying everyone all over the sky!" Dee said.

"Here we are." Susan said, as they pulled up outside of her parish church. "I'm late for choir rehearsal, so I'm just going to go sneak in; grab my choir robe and go join the choir in our section. You girls can stay out here for a few minutes or come on in with me."

"We'll come with you and save front row seats for everyone." Libby said.

A few minutes later the rest of their family joined them in the seats they had saved.

"Hey, Uncle Sam," Sue whispered. "Have you ever heard Aunt Susan sing? I mean a solo, like she's going to sing today?"

"Yes, Suzie, I have. Her beautiful voice is only one of the many things I love about your godmother and she's already joined the choir in Airatan."

After the service, the wedding party waited at the front of the church, for Susan's pastor to come.

"Why are you fidgeting so much?" Libby whispered to Dee.

"Because that Matt-idiot is staring at me." Dee answered between clenched teeth.

"Why would having a cute guy stare at you make you fidget?"

"Because he drives me nuts; he's always getting me mixed up with you; calling me Libby or Lizzybelle...I mean, it's not as if we dress anything alike, he should be able to distinguish us apart."

"That's funny; Matt never calls me by your name." Libby puzzled.

"Maybe that's because you're always standing next to your boyfriend, Marc."

"But then he should be able to tell that you're the sister who doesn't have a boyfriend."

"I know, as I said; Matt's an idiot!" Dee exclaimed; quietly glaring at the young man as she said it. Matt just smirked and turned away.

"He's been teasing me and making a nuisance of himself ever since we met, yesterday."

"Well, just ignore him." Libby advised as the pastor came in and they started the rehearsal.

After a successful rehearsal, the wedding party was flown back to the Blair's house, landing on the tennis court; to join the rest of their extended family for a combined Thanksgiving and rehearsal dinner, set out on the Blair's extensive patio.

"So there's no way we can convince you to sing a solo at your own wedding, Aunt Susan?" Matt teased his aunt, a while later. After hearing you this morning, I'm sure that we'd all like to hear you sing again."

"Matthew, I'll be lucky if I can get 'I do' past my nervous throat tomorrow, much less a melody!" Susan grinned at her nephew, from her position next to Sam, at the table.

"Hey, 'Evil Knight', could you pass the stuffing, please?" Phillip called down the table, while referring to the part, which Matt had continually played, on that day, so long ago, when Matt, Suzie, Phillip and Libby had played 'rescue the princess', together.

"If I'm the Evil Knight, why would I pass you anything?" Matt asked, slipping into his childhood role once again.

"Because I noticed that you're partial to the cranberry sauce, which I have here, right by my plate." Phillip replied.

"Good knights, am I going to have to tie you both up with my magical, unbreakable-cord?" Libby asked, pulling out two pieces of old yarn from her pocket and Sue started to laugh and clap.

"Oh my good friend, the Fairy Queen, have you kept those magical cords in your pocket all these years?"

"Oh no, Princess, I kept them safe in a secret chamber, in the Fairy Realm, but I brought them with me today, just in case these knights decided to do battle again."

"Oh man, not the magical, unbreakable-cord again, please; I hated that thing!" Matt exclaimed in mock-horror.

"Then hand over the stuffing, Evil Knight." Phil warned.

"I'll pass over the stuffing, White Knight, if you pass over the cranberry sauce, which is worth more to me than the rubies our Fairy Queen made it from."

"Okay, on the count of three, we'll both pass the dishes." Phillip agreed. Once the stuffing and cranberry sauce had both been 'liberated', Mason asked.

"Suzie, did you keep that crown you were wearing that day?"

"No Dad, I didn't." Sue answered.

"But I did." Cheryl said, getting up from the table. "Liz gave it to me, to keep and when I realized that the four of you would be getting together again, I got it out of storage." And with that, Cheryl ran into the house.

"Mom don't..."

'Get used to it; in a few more years, you'll be wearing a real crown, my queen.' Phil told her, as he brought up Sue's hand to kiss.

"Here we go." Cheryl called as she came back in and placed the small wire crown, covered in gold sparkles and sequins, on her daughter's head.

"Mom!"

"It looks lovely!" Liz exclaimed.

"I bet you'll...you would make a lovely...princess." Max told Sue.

'That crown is nice and shiny, maybe we should trade our gold circlets in for some sparkly crowns made of wire and glitter!' Max teased Liz, silently.

After the delicious dinner, the grown-ups moved into the living room to talk and the kids went into the recreation room to play pool, turn the music way up and dance.

"Look, he's danced with everyone else but me. He even danced with you." Dee complained to her sister, a couple hours later, as she watched Matt dancing with Amy Guerin.

"Why would you want to dance with someone you think is an idiot?" Libby asked.

"Well, he's still a cute idiot." Dee answered.

"Well, go and ask him to dance then, or even go out onto the floor and dance by yourself; maybe then he'll come and join you." Libby suggested.

"No way; I don't want to look desperate." Dee replied as she looked at her watch. "It's getting late; let's go see if Aunt Susan is ready to leave yet." Libby nodded at this and went to give Sue and Phil their five minute warning, so they could say goodnight and then followed Dee into the living room, to watch their adopted aunt kiss her groom-to-be, goodnight, as well, while they waited for the chopper to arrive and fly them home.

The next morning, the two sisters woke up first and made breakfast for all of them and took all of the food up to the guest room to serve their honorary aunt (and friend) breakfast in bed, to start her wedding day off right. By nine thirty, all four ladies were ready; most especially the bride. Susan was wearing her lace dress under her robe, which now looked like a stylish, white, calf-length jacket with white embroidery circling the hem; white shoes and small, whit hat, perched on top of her simple page-boy hair-do.

"The three of you young ladies look so lovely. I wish I could have had you for my bride's maids, but if I had done that, there would have hardly been anyone to sit out in the congregation!"

"I think it's a great idea of yours to have Mom and Dad give you away." Sue said.

"Well, since I don't have any blood family left and Mason and Cheryl are the closest thing I've had to a brother and sister, I asked your father to give me away. Then your mom got the idea that both of them should walk me down the aisle; especially since Max is Sam's best-man and Liz is my matron-of-honor; I guess they see it as their giving me not only into Sam's care, but into Max and Liz's care, as well, since I'm moving to Airatan; moving from my old life, to my new one."

"It's time to leave; it's our turn to be your fairy godmothers and make sure you get to the church on time." Sue said, as they headed out to Susan's car.

At the church, Susan's choir was in place as were Sam, Max and the pastor; standing on the first step before the altar. The congregation was a small one, but was made up of good friends; co-workers and neighbors of Susan's, plus Suzie and Matt. Then Phillip, Libby, Dee, the Guerins, all of their grandparents and a couple of Sam's Air Force buddies.

Max and Liz had modified their robes to match Sam's and Susan's; their symbol of copper and golden hearts and the silver infinity symbol, all depicted now in blue or white, in a border around the hem of their shortened robes and for the sake of secrecy, the Royal Seal had been removed.

Liz gazed at her beloved husband from the back of the church, loving the sight of him all in blue; showing off his broad shoulders and slim hips.

'And I love seeing you in all white again.' Max said to her softly, through their connection. 'It brings back memories of our wedding day, like it was yesterday. I can hardly wait to take your robe off and see you in that lace dress I know you have on underneath it!'

'Max, don't get me all excited and stimulated while we're at our friend's wedding...and I can't do anything about it! Now hush; I have about five seconds to compose myself before I have to walk down the aisle.'

'You're gorgeous when you blush.' Max had to add, before the organist started playing the Wedding March and Liz started to slowly walk down the aisle; her cheeks still pink and a happy smile on her lips.

Susan waited a few moments before starting down the aisle, behind Liz, with Mason on one side and Cheryl on the other. Twice she had to slow her pace so that it wouldn't look as though she were dragging them behind her in her haste to reach her future husband, at the altar.

'Oh...boy...Sam looks...so handsome; all in blue with all of his medals pinned to his broad chest!' Susan gazed lovingly down the aisle at Sam; their gazes locked.

'Oh my sweet Susan, you look so lovely!' Sam was thinking at the same time.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...

"I, Samuel Arthur, take thee Susan Elizabeth as my lawfully wed wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death us do part."

"I, Susan Elizabeth, take the Samuel Arthur as my lawfully wed husband, have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death us do part."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife...you may kiss the bride."

"Finally, Mrs. Jones." Sam whispered as he drew his wife into his strong arms.

"What's taking you so long, Mr. Jones?" Susan smiled up at her husband, before they both swooped in on each other, for a long, satisfying kiss.

Max and Liz were standing on either side of the pastor, but within their psychic link they had been reaffirming their wedding vows and were now kissing as bride and groom, once again, as they watched their friends share their first marital kiss.

Out in the congregation, several of the couples were also sharing kisses.

"Hey, you two aren't married yet!" Amy Guerin whispered, swatting Sue and Phil on the back.

"May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Jones!" The minister called out and the congregation broke out in applause.

At the reception, Susan "magically" threw her bouquet over her shoulder...to Sue and Sam tossed her garter right into Phil's astonished hands.

"I don't get to see this much of your leg, except when you're at swim-team practice and even then it's not...quite...the same." Phil told Sue, as he skimmed his hand up her leg under the guise of putting the garter on.

"And you won't be able to again until after our wedding." Sue said, placing her hand over his; stopping it before it moved too high up her leg.

"Well, if I don't get to see your...legs, may I at least hold you in my arms, while we dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Sue giggled and got up off of Phil's lap and they both walked over to the dance floor and waited for the bride and groom to have the first dance, before everyone joined in the waltz.

"Oh Susan, I can't believe that you are finally my wife or that I have you here in my arms." Sam whispered to her, as he held her closely for their first dance.

"And soon you'll have me in your arms, in our bedroom." Susan promised, anticipating their wedding night with an excitement that raced over her skin.

"Mmmm, Johann will be picking us up in..." Sam looked at his watch, which was counting down the minutes. "One hour, seventeen minutes and three seconds; a short helicopter flight to the airfield, an hour's flight to the Valley and we're home!"

"Home!" Susan grinned happily and tiptoed up to kiss Sam's lips, bringing them to a standstill in the middle of the dance floor.

Part 34

Two hours, fifty-two minutes and fourteen seconds later, Sam was carrying Susan over the threshold of their mountainside home. They had no memory of their flight here, but were glad to see that all of their clothing was intact, if slightly mussed...but not for long, they both thought, as they eyed each other.

"Oh wow, I see the elves have been hard at work!" Sam exclaimed, as they walked hand in hand into their bedroom.

"Oh Sam did you plan all of this for me?" Susan gasped.

"In general, yes, but I allowed the ladies some artistic license."

They both looked around the room in wonder; white candles were everywhere and as the newlyweds stepped through the doorway, they all magically lit up; laughter and giggles were heard outside one of the curtained windows, before it faded away, as those who had prepared the wedding bower ran home to spread the news that Mr. and Mrs. Jones were home.

Besides the candles, now aglow on every flat surface, small branches had been tied to their plane bed, to create four bedposts, which reached over the mattress and became a canopy; draped with sheer, white material. Bouquets of autumn leaves in crimson and gold had been tied to some of the branches and placed in several bowls on the dresser and night tables. After seeing how the room had been transformed, Sam and Susan turned back to each other, both with the anticipation that this first night together would the beginning of many more loving nights...and days and years to come...together...

Same time, at the Blair's house.

Mason, Cheryl, Max, Liz, Phillip and Suzie, Dee and Libby, who had moved into rooms of their own, in the mansion, had flown back to L.A. after the reception and had gathered in the living room. Matt had asked to be excused from playing junior host, in favor of going to visit some of his buddies for a while.

"You know, I've been wondering what we should tell Matt, about all of you guys and what really went on with Niko Giuliani." Cheryl mentioned.

"Yes, me too." Max replied. "In most cases a Human doesn't learn about us aliens unless he or she has fallen in love with one of us. Each case is handled individually; one person at a time...but with Matt..."

"On one hand, he's living in New York and had nothing to do with the Niko situation; we told him very little about what was going on at the time, there was no need for him to know more. But now, we, his parents know your secret and his older sister is marrying an alien prince; no disrespect intended, Phillip, Max."

"None taken." Father and son assured.

"I think that it would be best if we all told him the truth about ourselves, before we leave this weekend." Liz replied and everyone agreed.

"It's a shame he isn't here right now; we could get it over with." Cheryl said.

"Hey you know what would be great? We could all watch 'The Royal Four, Among Us'!" Mason suggested. "I'd love to see your reactions to it. You kids have studied Antarian history, haven't you? I'd love your input too."

"Well sure, Mason; we'd like to hear your stories about filming the movie." Max replied, while glancing over to Liz, uncertainly.

Even though he, Liz and the rest of their friends had loved the movie and been big fans of the TV series; Max had only watched the movie once, when it had first come out in the theaters. He hoped that almost twenty-four years later, it wouldn't be so emotionally gut-wrenching to watch. Liz brought Max's cold palm up to her lips and kissed it gently, as Mason used a remote to have a large screen drop down out of the ceiling and keyed the proper DVD to insert itself into the player. He dimmed the lights some and the movie began.

"I remember the FX guys grumbling about getting those special effects just right." Mason whispered, during one exciting part in the movie.

"I love how authentic the sets and costumes look." Libby mentioned.

"I just wish they'd found an actress who looks more like Grandma Belisa, than the one who ended up playing her part." Dee said. "You look so much like my grandfather and father, Mr. Blair, it's kind of startling not to see Aunt Isabel or someone who looks like her, up on the screen, as well." Cheryl paused the movie.

"You know, it's incredible with all that we know about all of you and all we've been through together; I've never really thought about the fact that Mason was playing Max's father and then Max himself and I was kind of playing you, Liz; that just blows my mind!"

"Well, thank goodness my life wasn't like the role you played." Liz replied. "The thought of being hunted by the government is one of my worst nightmares!"

A moment later, Matt came around the corner, into the living room and no one paid attention to his expression, or wondered if he had heard any of what they had just been discussing.

"Hey Matt, I thought you were spending the evening with your buddies." Mason asked.

"Turns out they were all busy with family stuff." Matt answered.

"Well, come join our family stuff. We're watching 'Among Us'." Matt shrugged and found a seat; looking around at everyone in the room as Mason started up the movie again.

Soon, they reached the part where the parents are bravely saying good-bye to their children and then putting them into their individual space pods; to send them away from their dying sun, Antaria, before it went nova and killed everyone left on their planet. Matt heard sniffles coming from just about everyone sitting around him and tried not to let his own tears fall, as well; this part was always so poignant.

"Daddy?" A tiny voice whispered to his right and he turned to see Mr. Evans with tears streaming down his face and anguish in his eyes. Mrs. Evans was in his arms, trying to sooth him; gently caressing his face and shoulders, while tears ran down her face, as well. Then the cute-but-irritating Dee moved over to hug her father and tried to comfort him too.

'Wow, deep family.' He wondered at their intense emotions.

"Oh man, Max, Liz, I'm sorry. I should have realized how upsetting this would be for you to watch...especially since for you, all of this was real." Mason said, cryptically...to his son, anyway.

"It's alright, Mason, this scene is almost over; please continue showing the movie, the second half was great." Mason nodded and hit the play-button.

'What was that all about?' Matt wondered. After that, he couldn't believe that he was just sitting there, watching the rest of the movie. While waiting for it to end, he let his mind wander over everything he had heard, before he came into the room.

"You look so much like my grandfather and father, Mr. Blair, it's kind of startling not to see Aunt Isabel or someone who looks like us, up on the screen, as well...You know, it's incredible with all that we know about all of you and all we've been through together; I've never really thought about the fact that Mason was playing Max's father and then Max himself and I was kind of playing you, Liz; that just blows my mind!"... "Well, thank goodness my life wasn't like the role you played." Liz replied. "The thought of being hunted by the government is one of my worst nightmares!"

"Okay, someone, want to tell me about what is going on here?" Matt exclaimed, shooting to his feet, the instant that the credits started to roll, he couldn't stand waiting any longer. "I heard what Dee, Mom and Mrs. Evans said earlier...and...and the way Mr. Evans overreacted to that scene in the movie...Dad, I found out what Giuliani was accusing you of...what's going on?"

Everyone looked around the room and then Max started to explain.

"You say that you know what Giuliani was accusing your father; and myself of. Except for the bit about our families being related...everything else is...true."

Max continued to tell Matt the whole story, with a little help from everyone else; of where he came from, meeting Liz and the others, building Airatan, meeting Mason and Cheryl, up to Suzie and Phillip's relationship.

"My sister is marrying an alien?" Matt exclaimed when Max finished his story.

"Out of all that my father just told you, that's all it boils down to?" Dee exclaimed.

"And that my own family knew about all of you and didn't tell me, yeah!" Matt yelled, arms flying.

"Try to calm down, Matt." Mason said. "We only just found out about Max's...alien status a few months ago and at the time, there was no need for you to be told; you weren't a part of it."

"But with your sister marrying my son," Max said in a firm voice. "We knew that you should be told and planned to tell you later today or tomorrow."

"Yeah sure, you must be real good at keeping your secrets, why would you tell me now?"

"Because that's what we do when someone becomes involved with us, you numbskull!" Dee exclaimed. "We tell that person and then let him or her decide if they still want to be...involved with us. Up until now, there's never been a problem; everyone we've told has helped us keep our secret."

"Yeah, so you say, but nothing is ever that simple." Matt glared at Dee before turning and walking out of the room.

He couldn't understand why he was reacting this way; so irrationally, but he needed time away; to think. He didn't realize that he was fighting his attraction to the beautiful Dee and in trying to reject that attraction; he was rejecting anything she said, as well.

"Matt wait, let's talk about this." Mason called.

"I'll get the idiot." Dee said and raced out of the room.

She followed the sound of his footsteps, as Matt walked quickly ahead of her; slipping on a couple of scatter-rugs as she tried to catch up with him. She passed through the enormous kitchen and realized that Matt was headed for the garage...and his car. When she reached the deserted back hallway, she saw him up ahead and in a moment of desperation, used her powers to pull the rug out from under him; literally and then wrap him up in it; arms as well as legs.

"Oh man, how the hell did you do this to me?" Matt yelled.

"Shut up; I'm an alien's daughter, remember? Now come in here before someone sees or hears us." She commanded and used her powers to get him up off of the floor. She tugged on his restraints and he hopped along behind her, into the laundry room. Dee firmly locked the door and turned to face Matt.

"Please try to calm down." She urged, trying to calm down herself.

"Get me the hell out of this...rug!" Matt yelled.

"No, not until you calm down." Dee said, but she did loosen the rug's hold on him a little.

"Gee, thanks." He sneered.

"You're welcome...Now please listen to me when I say that we are harmless...well mostly, anyway." Dee modified when Matt lifted an ironic eyebrow. "We don't Want to hurt anyone. We are a peaceful people; a civilization of artists and poets...and actors." She tried to appeal to the fact that Matt was an actor.

"And just what sort of artwork do you do?" Matt asked.

"Um, well actually, I'm studying to be a lawyer. I tried sculpting when I was younger, but even Uncle Michael said that I was hopeless. Libby; you know my twin, who you keep getting me mixed up with, is the artist in my family. She makes the most beautiful things with clay!" Matt sighed.

"Okay, so you're all a bunch of peaceful potters and painters; can't you understand that this is a lot for me to take in all at once? My sister is not only getting married, but she is getting married to an alien...who will one day become a king; my sister will be a queen!"

"It's not that big a deal; look at my parents, they Are a king and queen and they aren't wearing their crowns or designer clothes; they're just a family lawyer and a microbiologist; my mom and dad."

"But they...do have...crowns?" Matt asked in wonder.

"Well...yeah, but they hardly ever wear them." Dee explained.

"Dee, it's still an awful lot for me to take in. I just need to think it all through...alone. I may have questions later, but for now I need to get away for a while, okay? I promise, I won't tell a soul, ever." Matt said, looking intently into her eyes.

"You promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Well okay then." Dee said and let the rug fall to the ground. Just then someone started knocking loudly on the door.

"Matt, Dee; are you in there? Are you alright?" Suzie called.

Dee walked over to the door and unlocked it. Matt shook his head in wonder as he saw the girl's hand glow and walked over to his sister.

"Everything's alright. I just need to go for a drive; think things through, okay?"

"All right; drive safely." Sue said in relief.

"Don't worry, I will." Matt said, as he drew her into a gentle hug and kissed her brow.

"Tell Mom and Dad that I'll be back later." And he walked past Phil and Dee and out the door to his car.

Part 35

Two weeks after Thanksgiving, the kids were back in Cambridge and well into their studies. As Dee walked through the door to her home-away-from-home, she was reflecting on Phil and Sue...and Matt.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the two lovers apart at night, even though they still said they wanted to 'wait' until they were married, they were constantly being caught in one or the other's rooms making out. Dee, Amy and Audra had taken it upon themselves to make sure that there were no more nighttime liaisons; they were getting too close to the date of their wedding to allow Sue and Phil to ruin that special day for themselves.

Matthew Blair was another worrisome thought, bouncing around in Dee's mind. It had been two weeks since he had found out about...everything and he hadn't said anything to anyone, on that subject, since he had left the house to go for his drive and to think things through. Dee was brewing some tea in hopes of calming her stomach down, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." She called, as she went to answer the door. "Oh...Matt Blair; what are you doing here?"

"I came to see my sister, is she here...Libby?" He grinned at her.

"No, she isn't." Dee answered and moved to slam the door shut in his face, but his hand snapped up and stopped it from closing.

"May I...come inside and wait for her...Dee?" He relented.

"Oh all right. See how nice I can be when called by my proper name?" She smiled.

"Do you know what time Sue will be home?" Matt asked, just grinning back at her.

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes; would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah, a beer would be great." Matt said.

"You aren't twenty-one and you won't find any alcohol in this house, anyway." Dee answered.

"What, are all of you aliens tea-totalers?"

"As a matter of fact we are." Shaun and Ed came up behind Dee.

"You don't want to see an alien get drunk, my friend." Ed warned and had the pleasure of seeing Matt swallow, nervously.

"I'm just brewing some tea." Dee said now with a grin on her face. "Would you like some of that? Or, we have vegetable, or fruit juices, iced tea, or pop."

"Um how about a Dr. Pepper?" Matt asked, cautiously.

"Sure coming right up." Dee said, indicating a chair at the kitchen table.

"Would that be with or without Tabasco sauce?" Shaun asked; he loved intimidating this guy.

"Tabasco; what about it?" Matt asked.

"Would you like some in your Dr. Pepper?" Shaun asked slowly, as he popped his own can open and dropped some in, before taking a swig.

"Uh sure, I'll try it." Matt agreed reluctantly and started Dee laughing.

"Shaun, don't you dare!" She stopped her friend from dropping and Tabasco into Matt's drink and took the can away from him. "Matt, we like our food to be sweet and spicy at the same time; it's a physiological thing, a dietary quirk. You would not like it at all; Shaun was just teasing you! Would you like ice?"

"Is there any Tabasco in it?" Matt asked and Dee shook her head with a twinkle in her eyes, so Matt said yes to the ice.

"Here you go." Dee served him his drink after pouring it over a glassful of ice.

"Thanks."

"Matt, hi!" Sue cried out, when she came through the back door and saw her brother sitting there; she flew across the room to hug him.

"Hey big sis." Matt hugged her back. "Hey, Phillip." Matt stuck his hand out and they shook.

"Matt, how are you?" Phillip asked politely, if warily.

"Doing good; can the three of us talk?"

"Sure...why don't we go up to Sue's room?" Phil suggested. "Sue, would you like something to drink?"

"Some of Dee's tea, when it's done." Sue said.

"Go on up and I'll bring it to you in a minute." Phil told her, reluctantly letting her hand go, after kissing her knuckles.

"Thank you, love." Sue smiled her special smile at him and then headed out the door and up the stairs. "Come on Matt." Because she knew her brother would worry, she explained how the house was set up.

"The boys' rooms are on this floor, the girls' rooms are on the third floor and my room...soon to be mine and Phillip's room, is in the attic. Isn't it nice and cozy up here?" She asked when they reached the top.

"Yeah, you really have it fixed up nicely, Suzie." Matt replied, as he looked around the nice sized room, tucked in under the eaves. "If Phil's room is downstairs, why do you have two desks up here?" Sue let out an annoyed huff.

"Because we like spending as much time together, even if it is while we study. Dee, Amy and Audra make sure that he sleeps in his own room, don't worry."

"And you really love him, don't you? And his being...different doesn't bother you at all, does it? How are you going to handle becoming a queen?" Matt asked.

"I love Phillip more than life itself; I can't imagine my life without him." Sue told her brother, fervently.

"Nor can I see mine without you, sweetheart." Phil said, as he came up the last few steps, into the room, carrying a tray with him. He put it down and met Sue half-way as she moved towards him, as well. Phil placed a tender kiss on her brow in deference to their audience, but kept hold of her hand.

"To answer the rest of your questions, Matt, no, Phil's being an alien doesn't bother me in the least; it makes him special. As to being his queen, I'll deal with that the same way his mother does; with love, standing by his side and one day at a time."

After that, all three of them sat down and talked for a while; the men getting to know each other. Phil invited Matt to stay for dinner and he accepted, but when Matt didn't eat his green beans, the prankster pounced on him with glee and everyone, including his sister and future brother-in-law laughed at him, while he reluctantly ate the hated vegetables on his plate.

Later that night, as Matt was getting ready to go back to his hotel room, Phil glanced at Sue and lifted a questioning brow. Sue nodded, smiling and Phil turned back to Matt.

"Hey Matt, I was wondering if you'd like to be one of my ushers at our wedding?" Matt looked up, startled and pleased.

"Hey yeah, I'd love to; thank you."

"No, thank you." Phil countered and both men, now friends, shook hands.

"Bye Matt, see you in Airatan for Christmas, if not before." Sue hugged her brother who had been invited for the holiday and to her wedding, of course, but would now be a part of her wedding party.

"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" Everyone called to their friends, as they left the lovely candle-lit church, after the midnight Christmas services. It was cold in this part of northern New Mexico, especially at their high altitude; the ground was already covered and more snowflakes were drifting gently down.

"Merry Christmas, my love." Sue kissed Phil, making their lips warm with the insistent pressure, before breaking out of their embrace and climbing into Uncle Sam's car to drive home and get some sleep during the early hours of Christmas morning, at her aunt and uncle's house.

"See you in a few hours; sleep well, honey." Phil called.

By noon on Christmas Day, the extended family and friends were gathered at Max and Liz's house to open presents and eat Christmas dinner, later on. Two enormous trees graced the living room and family room, garlands and ribbons were hung everywhere else and many poinsettias brightened up the corners.

For Sue and Phil, this Christmas was half holiday, half bridal shower.

"Oh man, Mom and Dad...Wow what a great gift!" Phillip exclaimed as he and an excited Suzie read over Liz's note, which was attached to Max's dry legalese...transferring a plot of land, nearby, over to them.

As the almost newlyweds opened their gifts, they saw a conspiracy forming.

"Gee you guys, all of these gifts look like they might add up to a...house!" Max grinned at his son and soon-to-be-daughter.

"Olaus and his son gave me this letter, to give to you; it's an invitation to come by their studio; to talk about what you want in your home, so that they can design it for you."

"Oh Mr. and Mrs. Evans, this is so wonderful, so generous..." Tears of joy were running down Sue's face and Phil drew her tighter into his arms.

"Liz, I want to give these two an early wedding present; I can't wait." Max said, determinably.

"I didn't want to wait until their wedding in the first place." Liz reminded him.

"Sue; with all due respect to your parents, we would like you to call us Mom and Dad, or Max and Liz from now on. It's a few days early, but we see you as our daughter, already."

"Oh my, oh my!" Sue gasped out happily and then turned to her parents. "Mom, Dad, is it; would it be alright if I call them...Mom and Dad...too?"

"Of course it is, sweetheart; the four of us have discussed this already." Cheryl told her daughter.

"Well then, we won't wait until your wedding day either." Mason said. "Phillip we would also like to drop the formality and we ask you to call us Mom and Dad, as well."

"Hey great!" Phillip exclaimed, as Phil went to Cheryl and Mason and Sue went to Max and Liz for hugs and kisses from their new parents.

"I love the winter-carnival feeling you have going on here." Matt remarked to Dee as everyone came out of the church, following a successful wedding rehearsal.

"Yeah, our summer art-fair draws tourists into the Valley and then they stay to watch the plays our actors put on in the open-air amphitheater; and then the musicals and dramas we perform in our indoor theater draws them in during the winter and they stroll through our artist's studios between performances."

"And yet you have only two good-sized hotels; how do you house everyone who comes to the Valley?" Matt asked.

"A lot of motels have sprung up on the highway, leading here, but they're still a ways away, since they couldn't build within the National Forrest, so a lot of our people rent out rooms in their homes, as bed and breakfast accommodations."

"Ah." Mat said, nodding.

He and Dee had been getting along fairly well, since that first day he had come to see his sister, at their house in Cambridge. Matt had driven down to see Sue once more after that and now he was one of Phillip's ushers and was pared with...Dee in the wedding party.

"So, tomorrow is the big day. Where are my sister and your brother going on their honeymoon, I haven't heard." Matt asked.

"Oh well, since they're college students, they can't afford the cost or take the time to go away to someplace...warm, so they're staying at the valley's best hotel. The owner built a honeymoon suite this summer and Phil and Sue will be the first couple to stay in it!"

"Well, well, sounds romantic!" Matt smiled, happy for his sister.

"Knowing my brother, I'm sure it will be!" Dee said.

"Hey look, you two, you're standing under some mistletoe!" Libby laughed at their startled expressions, as they looked up and saw the beribboned mistletoe hanging from the branch of a nearby tree.

"Hey, you gotta kiss her now, man!" Marc laughed along with his girlfriend.

"It's Christmas; it's tradition." Libby added and grinned as Matt and Dee hesitantly moved in to give each other a quick peck on the lips and then turn away from each other, blushing.

'It was only a quick kiss.' Matt tried to tell himself. 'But then why did it feel like so much more? It can't mean...I just met her a couple of weeks ago...She's an alien for Pete's sake...She irritates the heck out of me...Then why did a quick brush of her lips make me see a quick starburst?...I need to think about all of this.'

"I'm, um going to go for a walk. I'll be back in time for the dinner." Matt muttered to himself and quickly walked off, before anyone could say anything. Dee rounded on her sister and friend.

"Why couldn't you have left us alone? We were having a nice conversation..." Dee cried out.

"Hey, it's tradition, and besides, the way you two were blushing, I think something more than just a peck on the lips, happened here." Libby kept grinning.

"If he weren't interested in you and you in him, neither of you would have reacted so strongly." Marc agreed.

"Oh you guys!" Dee groaned, as they walked towards the cars which would take them home.

'It's my wedding day, finally!' Sue thought happily the second her eyes popped open, early that morning. She jumped up out of bed just as her Aunt Susan knocked on her door.

"Oh good, you're already up. I brought you some tee. Why don't you get dressed and then we girls can head down to the Evans' house, which has been slated to be your bridal headquarters and the guys will take over this place for the day. I shudder to think what my home is going to look like, when I come back tonight!" Susan groaned in mock-horror.

A few minutes later, Sue came out of her room, ready to go. Her wandering eyes peaked through the half-open door to her aunt and uncle's bedroom.

"Aunt Susan, I didn't know that you two had a canopy bed. Are those tree branches?"

"Yes, we liked them so well during our honeymoon that we had the branches permanently attached to the frame and now we decorate our canopy according to the season."

Sue nodded, smiling, seeing the bright Christmas tree lights and greenery which were draped over the bows, now.

"Let's go." Cheryl said and the three ladies left the house after one more kiss to their husbands.

"Cheryl and Susan tried to screen Sue from the sight of Phillip as he and the other men came up the steps, they were walking down.

"Don't look!" Everyone cried out as Sue and Phil tried to get a peek of the other, but to no avail, as they were hurried past each other.

At the Evans', Sue now had her two mothers; Liz and Cheryl, her three best friends; Dee, Libby and Amy Guerin, her four aunts; Susan, Maria, Isabel and Tess and all four grandmothers; Nancy, Diane, Amy and Judy, for company.

'And I'm the partridge-in-a-pear-tree!' Sue sang to herself, as she saw all of the women in the house.

"We have the requisite chic-flicks to watch, chocolate to eat and the master bath ready for you to soak in, later." Maria told Sue.

The movies had been fun, the chocolate, divine and the long soak in the vanilla-scented bubbles, with candles burning all around the bathroom had been relaxing, Sue thought, as she came out into the master bedroom, snuggled into her warm robe. Her mother was there and her dress was hanging from the closet door.

"We didn't want to overwhelm you with too much company while you get ready, but if you'd like your friends to come in while you apply your make-up and fix your hair..." Cheryl suggested.

"That would be fun, if Dee, Libby, Amy, Liz and Aunt Susan could come in and help." Sue agreed.

"Now you don't want or need to wear too much make-up." Dee advised as the ladies came in and got busy. They brushed her long, gorgeous hair and just curled the ends a little to give body.

"You did a lovely job making the adjustments to your dress for Suzie, Liz." Susan praised, as her niece was helped on with her dress. "How did you find lace to match their special pattern?"

"There's an artisan in town, who makes lace designs to order." Liz answered, walking over to Sue's veil. "She even incorporated the Royal Seal into the center of your lace, here." Liz pointed out.

"It is all so beautiful, thank you so much!" Sue gulped out between tears.

"You will be a beautiful bride." Libby assured her as she swept her glowing hand over Sue's face, to erase the damage of tears.

"Now for your robe." Liz said, once Sue's dress was buttoned up the back.

Sue's sleeveless and floor-length robe was placed over her shoulders and she pulled it together in the front, but did not fasten it. Stepping in front of the full-length mirror, Sue admired the gold embroidery, which ran down each side of the front of the robe and around the hem.

"Here's your veil." Dee said and helped to arrange it over her hair.

"I love how your lace veil shows up with your lovely hair spread out beneath it in back." Amy said.

"Ladies, do you agree that our Suzie is a lovely bride?" Susan asked and everyone agreed, wholeheartedly, especially after a gentle blush spread over her cheeks.

"Now my dear, why don't you go show your gorgeous self to all the ladies out in the family room. Chat with them and try to relax, while we get ourselves changed in record time." Cheryl told her daughter.

Amy ran ahead and opened the door for her and then walked out into the family room.

"Ladies, may I present the bride; Susan Elizabeth Blair." And all women clapped, oohed and ahhed.

In good time, everyone was ready and they were off to the church.

TBC 


	8. Parts 36 to END!

Was It A Dream? Part 36-End 

The church was beautiful when the women arrived and peeked into the sanctuary. Besides its lovely and other-worldly design and stained glass, there were flowers and candles everywhere in jewel-tones that covered the spectrum.

"Suzie get back here, the guys are coming in through another door and they'll see you if you continue to stand there."

"Just one glimpse of him, Aunt Susan." Sue begged.

"You'll get all the glimpses you want in about five minutes." Her godmother told her, before kissing her cheek and following the other ladies to their seats up front. Only Mason, Cheryl, Libby, Dee and Amy stayed in the back vestibule with her.

"The pastor is up front and the string quartet is about to begin." Mason warned. "Everyone ready?" Amy, as bride's maid stood first in line to walk down the aisle and then Dee and Libby, as co-maids of honor and finally Sue, with her parents on either side of her.

As Amy stepped forward a few white rose petals started floating down over the aisle...out of nowhere. As Dee and Libby walked forward the flurry of petals increased, but only looked more magical to Sue and her parents. By the time the bride stepped forward, the floor was covered in white and only a few petals fell around them.

'No prankster with his model plane flying around, dropping rose petals on us needed this time!' Alex whispered to his friends over the Connection and was answered by grins and some soft giggles, as the eight of them remembered their own weddings.

Sue did not here anything and her eyes were locked on Phillip's as he stood at the front of the church, with Marc Guerin as his best man and Matt and Shaun as his users, beside him. When they reached the front, Mason and Cheryl hugged and kissed their daughter and gave her hand to Phillip, who clutched it tightly.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

"Susan Elizabeth Blair, you were my brave Amazon Princess, when we were seven and we have been linked to one another, ever since. I was attracted to you right away, on that first day I saw you again, in History 101, three years ago. I fell in love with you from afar, as I saw your sweetness, intelligence and humor. I know you so much better now and admire all of your strengths and your inner beauty. I pledge to continue being your partner, to become your husband and lover and always be by your side through the good times and the bad, as long as we both shall live."

"Phillip Jeffery Evans, you were my brave White Knight, when we were both young and we have been linked to one another ever since. I was attracted to you as soon as is saw you again, that first day in History101, three years ago. I also fell in love with you from afar as I saw your kindness, intelligence and humor. I know you much better now and admire all of your strengths and gentle manner. I pledge to continue being your partner, to become your wife and lover and always be by your side through the happy times and sad, as long as we both shall live."

'I've been noticing that our rings look like an Antarian version of the Claddagh ring; traditional and yet individualized for just the two of us.' Phillip observed, silently as he slipped Sue's ring onto her finger and she placed Phil's onto his. As Phillip drew Sue into his arms for their kiss, she could here him continue to whisper to her.

'Oh my Suzie, you are mine now and I am yours; I will love you for ever and ever...'

'I have loved you for such a long time and now we are one and will remain so for ever and ever...' Sue replied, silently.

'And soon we won't need physical touch to speak to each other, sub-vocally.' Phil wiggled his eyebrows at her, as they broke their kiss and backed away a little.

"May I introduce to you, their Royal Highnesses, Prince Phillip and Princess Susan...Evans." The pastor called out and then joined almost everyone in bowing low before them.

'I didn't know he was going to introduce us like that.' Phil told Sue, as they blushed and waited for everyone to straighten up. 'Oh man the Honor Guards are moving into position, they're going to cross their pikes for us to walk under.' He warned her.

'Crossed pikes?' Sue asked.

'Ever see an Army wedding, where they make a tunnel out of their crossed swords for the bride and groom to run under? This is the Antarian equivalent.'

Half of the congregation had already left their seats by the side aisles, to walk outside and find a good place to stand and see the Royal Couple come out of the church. The other half waited until most of the wedding party walked by, starting with the grandparents and parents; then Amy and Shaun; Dee and Matt; and then Libby and Marc walked back down the aisle. Phillip and Sue waited a few moments and then followed their friends.

Sue saw Dee tugging Matt out through the church door and Libby and Marc scurry through as well, just before she and Phillip reached the Honor Guard, who lined both sides of the aisle. They each carried a four-foot long staff in their hands, one end of each staff resting on the ground. Suddenly a bolt of energy shot out of the upper end of each staff, creating what Sue could only describe as an energy rod. Phil gave her hand a comforting squeeze as they passed under the radiant archway and exited the church. They stood on the top steps, under more pikes for a few moments while their friends and family took pictures of them, before running down the steps, through the hail of birdseed, which was thrown at them and over to their family, who led them into the community's fellowship hall, where their reception was to be held.

"Oh man, what was that?" Mason asked Dee, as he, Cheryl and Matt stood nearby, outside the church.

"Those are the Honor Guard and they're holding energy pikes for Phil and Sue to walk under. On Antar, the Guard was the elite company who protected the Royal Family. Even though all of those people are a part of our security force, here in Airatan, this ceremony of theirs is mostly honorary; in memory of relatives who served in the Antarian military and Honor Guard, as well as a way for them to show their respect for my parents and now for my brother and his bride."

"Oh boy!" Matt exclaimed, quietly.

"Will they do that for you, whenever you get married, Dee?" Cheryl asked.

"Probably not; my sister and I are only heirs to the heir; we aren't so close to the throne that we would garner such special treatment, which is just fine with me, I wouldn't want all the responsibilities that Phil will be taking on in eleven years."

"What happens in eleven years?" Matt asked.

"That, God willing, will be when my father abdicates his place on the throne and my brother will be made king." Dee explained. "Come on, let's go into the reception." She said and led them into the hall.

"Grandma Amy, I love the wedding cake you baked!" Her grandson, Marc exclaimed, a while later. "No plain white cake for you; this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is delicious!" He said through a great big bight and gave his grandma a smacking kiss on her cheek.

"You're welcome sweetie; weren't Phil and Sue cute when they cut the cake? They reminded me so much of Max and Liz; both being so careful and neat when they fed each other a piece of cake."

"Unlike my parents; I've seen the pictures of how they almost started a food fight at their wedding by smearing the cake over each other's faces!" Marc said with a big grin on his face.

"Well, if you plan to follow in the footsteps of Maria and Michael, at your wedding Marcus Guerin, you can just go buy one of those tasteless, white cakes from a bakery. I'm not having my hard work smooshed all over Libby's face!" Grandma Amy warned.

"No way Grandma, I wouldn't do that to one of your wonderful cakes. Anyway I haven't had the courage to go to Mr. Evans and ask for his permission to marry Libby yet...much less actually proposed to her, but when the time comes and it will; could you bake your white chocolate cake with raspberry filling?"

"Of course, sugar, I'll keep my cake pans handy! Oh look, Sue is ready to throw her bouquet." And they both turned around in time to see...Dee catch the flowers.

"Oh man, Sue's brother, Matt caught the garter!" Marc exclaimed. "The tradition must be way off this time; I've seen those two fighting and snipping at each other whenever they're in the same room. No way would they ever marry each other."

"I have news for you; your own parents snipped at each other all the time, before they married and haven't you noticed...they still do." Amy told Marc, before going over to congratulate Dee and Matt.

"Sue, come with me, love; there's some important people I want you to meet." Phil said, as he came up to his bride and then guided her over to a table where ten elderly people sat, enjoying the reception.

"Hey Phil, when are you going to take your bride out onto the dance floor so the rest of us can start dancing as well?" Nasus asked, smiling.

"Just as soon as I introduce my lovely bride to the rest of you." Phil answered, kissing the old lady on her cheek. "Sweetheart, you've met Nasus and Olaus Petersen; but this is Tage Petersen." Phillip introduced the rest. "Tage is the oldest of the five children, who traveled with my parents from Antar to Earth. They crashed in Sweden, came out of their pods immediately and grew up there, before my father was able to contact them.

"It's a great pleasure and honor to meet all of you, at last." Sue said, glancing over the whole table. "I'd love to hear your life stories sometime; they must all be fascinating; coming to a whole new world and growing up here. Have any of you written your stories down?"

"No we haven't, but maybe that would be a good idea." Tage said thoughtfully. "Perhaps my son, Eric could help us write our stories down."

"That would be a great idea." Phil agreed. "We need to remember what happened to all of us; document it somehow...but for right now, I'm going to dance with my bride; Nasus, I expect to see you out on the dance floor, later." Phil said, before leading Sue over to the cleared space for dancing and heard the band switch into a dreamy waltz, before he drew her into his strong arms and held her close.

"How much longer before we can leave?" Sue asked, desperately, as she felt Phil's sexy body brushing against hers.

"Soon, love, soon." Phil said, as he felt her soft form squirm against his. "Very soon, I promise."

Dee and Matt stood on the sidelines watching, as Phillip and Sue danced together. When many of the other couples moved onto the dance floor to join the newlyweds, Matt turned to Dee.

"Well I guess we're supposed to dance together, come on let's get this over with." He said and then took Dee's hand and dragged her out into the crowd.

Matt kept Dee at a proper distance from his body; he did not quite understand why he was so reluctant to dance with this beautiful young woman in his arms. He loved to dance, he was very good at it and he was attracted to Dee, but a stone wall still seemed to encircle his heart, keeping him from displaying his emotions to her.

Dee could find no pleasure in finally being taken into Matt's strong arms to dance, because he seemed to resent the necessity of dancing with her so much. He was a great dancer; graceful and sure, but his gorgeous lips had been pulled down in a frown the whole time and he barely even looked into her eyes. When the dance ended, Dee was so disappointed that she stomped off in a huff, to ignore the bore for the rest of the reception. Matt sighed in disappointed relief and slumped off the dance floor to quietly replay the moment when he had been able to touch Dee's calf as he had slipped Sue's garter up her leg and then the feeling of holding her in his arms as they danced and he inhaled her sweet scent.

"May I dance with my daughter?" Mason asked and Phillip reluctantly let go of her and went to find his mother for their traditional dance.

"We are so happy for you and proud of you!" Mason exclaimed, quietly in Sue's ear as they swayed together. "You have a brilliant career and future ahead of you. You've become a strong, intelligent and beautiful young woman and you have found yourself a good man to fall in love with and to marry."

"Thank you Daddy; that means so much to me to hear." Sue whispered back as she laid her cheek on his broad shoulder.

"Phillip!" Liz exclaimed, as her tall, strong son came up behind her and swung her into his arms for a dance.

'My mother is so tiny; has she always been this tiny?' Phillip wondered to himself, as he guided her around the dance floor. 'I guess her strength of character; intelligence and love have always given her a few extra inches in my eyes.'

"You look a little lost honey, is everything alright?" Liz asked her son.

"Yeah Mom, I'm fine...it's jut that...you've always been a person I looked up to; your intelligence, loving heart, your strength...it's all still there and don't get me wrong, you and Dad will always be my...heroes, but just now, dancing with you...you seem so tiny to me, as if I need to protect you...although I know that you need no protection...I don't know how to explain it."

"Perhaps you've just stepped into true adulthood; become the man you were meant to be...you're no longer my little boy, but my grown son. Your instincts to protect are growing and you feel the weight of responsibility...of becoming a married man, starting a family, your future birthright...But don't worry, Phillip, your father and I raised you so that you would be strong enough to carry all of these responsibilities...And you have exceeded all of our hopes and expectations for you!" Then Liz switched over to sub-vocal speech, so that Max, who was on the other side of the room, could join her in speaking to their son.

'I am so proud of you, my son.' They both said. 'And so would Welmas and Belisa; you carry their spirits within your heart and have grown into a fine young man. You cared enough to be drawn to and to help Sue overcome what Giuliani did to her and found your soul-mate at the same time. We love you and your new bride, very much.'

'Mom, Dad, thank you so much for telling me all that. I love you both so much too; you have been the best parents any kid, anywhere could ever have." Phil hugged his mother and then his father, who had been making his way through the crowd as the three of them spoke sub-vocally.

"Now why don't you grab your lady-love and slip out of here?" Max suggested with a grin. "Your bags have been taken to the hotel and everything has been prepared for you."

"Good advice, Dad, thanks." Phil said and slipped through the crowd towards his soul-mate.

Max and Liz watched, arm in arm, as Phil stepped up behind Sue, got her away from her current dance partner and then whispered in her ear. Sue blushed and then nodded, before leaving Phil's warm arms so that they could separately sneak through the crowd, towards the door. They almost made it to freedom, when a spot-light came out of nowhere and everyone heart trumpets sound a salute.

"Oh I thought they'd make it unseen." Liz whispered.

"Yeah, but I guess that the prankster couldn't resist having a little fun." Max replied.

Phil and Sue stood in the spot-light, smiled and waved good-bye to their friends. One thoughtless guest was going to take this moment to draw Phillip into conversation, when all of a sudden, he bumped into an invisible barrier; his hands pressed against the force-field as he tried to find his way past it. A startled set of newlyweds looked around for signs of who could have put up the invisible wall and then shrugged, grinned and hurried out the door, while they had the chance.

Part 37

Phil helped Sue into the car, which had been left for them outside, got in behind the wheel and took off.

"Thank goodness Antarians don't go into writing 'Just Married' in shaving cream, on the bride and groom's car!" Phil sighed in relief.

"Or tying cans or old boots to the bumper!" Sue laughed along with him, as they drove the short distance to the hotel.

"Here we are, Mrs. Evans." Phil said, as they drove under the canopy, which stretched out from the front door.

Phil helped her out of the car and they walked arm in arm into the hotel. The few guests who were in the lobby at the time, stopped to stare and grin, when they saw the young married couple come in. The hotel owner came forward and shook their hands.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Evans." He said, formally, only just stopping himself from calling them Your Highnesses, as he would have liked to, on their wedding day, if it hadn't been for his Human guests standing nearby. "What a lovely wedding ceremony you had; I'm so glad I was able to attend it, before coming back here to make sure that everything was in perfect order for you."

"I'm sure everything will be great, thank you." Phillip told the hotelier. "The reception is still going on; maybe you can slip away and put in an appearance there as well."

"Perhaps, but let's get you two settled first; this way, please."

They all rode the elevator to the top floor and the doors opened onto a private hallway, which led to the bridal suite. Their host opened the double doors and Phil picked up Sue in his arms to carry her over the threshold. They kissed passionately before he let her slide down his body to stand beside him again.

"Oh this is beautiful!" Sue exclaimed, as she finally looked around the living room.

A seating area with an overstuffed sofa and chairs faced a stone fireplace. Huge windows on either side of the fireplace gave a fabulous view of the valley and a small table-for-two was placed in front of one of them. The color scheme in the room was restful with soft greens everywhere and some large, leafy plants arranged in the corners and by the windows.

"Oh man, a fake fur rug...Rumor has it that Dee and Libby were conceived on a fake fur coverlet, my parents had on their bed." Phil told Sue, looking over to the rug, which lay in front of the fireplace.

"Through here is the bedroom." Their host opened a pair of folding doors.

The room was large and all in creams and whites. The huge bed was placed on the far wall with a perfect view of the raised fireplace in the living room. White, filmy drapes hung from the canopy and stirred gracefully in the breeze from the opening of the doors. The floor was covered in ankle-deep, angle-soft white carpeting.

"Here is your closet and dresser; everything has been unpacked for you and the bathroom is through here."

Where the bedroom was virginal, the bathroom was anything but; fashioned of black marble, every surface was mirror smooth and curved, almost fluid in appearance. Despite its large size and color, the bathroom was warm and looked infinitely relaxing, especially the Jacuzzi-tub; big enough to swim in, with a bay window surrounding most of it, giving a spectacular and private view of the valley. Even though there was no one to look in, more large, leafy plants had been placed around the tub, but ample green-filtered light came in anyway and fragrant, flowering vines swung like garlands around the room.

"This makes me think of some secret, underground grotto, but with sunlight still filtering in; it's beautiful, the whole suite is!" Sue exclaimed.

'It's just as I envisioned.' Phil praised their host, silently. 'Thank you for making these special arrangements for me.'

"That's the magic of staying in an alien-run hotel, almost anything is possible, sir.' Their host said, before quietly leaving them alone.

The newlyweds spent their honeymoon loving and discovering each other, talking, while lounging in front of the fire, eating the delicious food which the hotel's room-service delivered and taking long walks, hand in hand, but they kept to trails which were rarely traveled. They attended Max and Liz's New Year's Party, happy to see their families but by no means tired of spending time together. They would fly back to Cambridge and their tiny apartment the next day, ready to start their new life together.

Part 38

While his sister and brother-in-law were holed up in their honeymoon suite, Matthew Blair spent the rest of his holiday by exploring the valley. Marc and Shaun were pretty friendly to him and had spent time with him in between hanging out with their girlfriends, Libby and Amy. Between those two young men and Sam Jones, Matt had been taught the basic rudiments of horseback riding. Now, on New Years Eve Day, he felt confident enough to go riding by himself, along the beginner trails, which circled Airatan.

He was trying to puzzle through his reaction to Dee Evans. He was attracted to her; she was sweet and funny...but she was also an...alien. Why was he so leery of getting closer to her, when he had no problem spending time with her parents and friends? He was even happy that his sister had married one.

Was that the key he wondered? He did not think of Phillip, Marc, Shaun, or Mr. Evans as aliens...first. They were friends and in-laws who happened to also be aliens; But he saw Dee as an alien first and then as an attractive young woman. Was that because she was the only one of them who had used her powers in front of him? ...And in a violent way, as well. She had grabbed the rug out from under him, literally and then tied him up in it...without placing one finger on him and, he realized...that scared him.

Matthew Blair had never really been afraid of a woman before. Although he had met many, powerful and intimidating females in his time, he had always felt capable of charming them into liking him and doing what he wanted them to do. Dee was nothing like any woman he had ever met before.

Even though Dee had argued that her people were peaceful artists and had eventually understood his feelings and worries about his sister marrying Phillip; the fact that Dee had alien powers and could, quite literally throw him across the room, made him wary of her. Even though he was attracted to her; who and what she was kept him from pursuing that attraction.

Dee saw Matt from where she reigned in her horse, on an upper trail. She knew that Matt liked his space; his peace and quiet, but she also knew that he would be flying back to New York tomorrow and this might be her last chance to try and fix things between them. She was very attracted to him and she was sure that he was attracted to her, but whenever they came anywhere close to each other, he froze her with his icy personality or started a fight with her. Dee could not let him go without trying one last time, to speak to him.

"Hey Matt." She called, as she maneuvered her horse down the slope, towards him.

"What do you want, Dee?" Matt asked, wearily.

'Must I be bombarded by her tempting presence to the last?' He wondered.

"I wanted to talk to you." Dee said. "I know that you don't like me, but our families are linked now and I have a feeling that we'll be seeing each other a lot at the holidays and I wanted to try and come to some sort of truce."

"What makes you think that I want a truce? Maybe I like snipping at you."

"Why do you like making me miserable? What have I ever done to you?" Dee asked.

"What have you ever done to me? Let's see...you pulled a rug out from under me...while you stood at least ten feet away...and I landed flat on my back. Then you tied me up in that rug and got me to my feet, still without touching me. You did all of that using your creepy alien powers and I don't want to give you another chance to do that to me again!"

"If I hadn't been taught to keep control of my powers, I'd, I'd...turn your hair purple and your skin green!" Dee exclaimed, angrily. "That instance at your home was a desperate try on my part to keep you from leaving the house. I was afraid that you planned to go out and blab what you knew about us, to all of your friends, or, or to the Press."

"Yeah, like I'd ever do something dumb like that." Matt yelled.

"I didn't know how you would react; you just looked so desperate and angry." Dee replied. "Look, you were the very first person that we've told the truth to, who had any sort of negative reaction. We'd never seen anyone behave the way you did. I was worried and I overreacted; I may never become queen of the Antarian people, but I will protect them any way I can, even to my last breath and if rolling someone up in a rug is what I have to do, to keep them from possibly going to the Press, then that's what I'll do!"

Dee was yelling right into Matt's face, as they sat on their nervous horses; knee to knee with each other. Dee's index finger was jabbing into Matt's chest, her eyes were hot and angry, but Matt could see tears starting to swim in them.

"Oh what does it matter, you'll think whatever you want to think." Dee exclaimed and wheeled her horse around and started riding away.

Dee's determination to protect her people and the vulnerability he had seen in her face, in that last instant, before she had turned her horse away, had Matt urging his horse forward.

"Dee, wait." He called out, not seeing a small log in his path.

His horse, not being given any instructions by his rider, did his best to jump the obstacle. The animal landed on the other side safely, his rider did not; unbalanced by the unexpected movement, Matt was thrown from the horse. Luckily, his feet did not get stuck in the stirrups; unluckily, his head hit a partially buried rock, as he landed badly and rolled down a slight incline, beside the trail.

Dee heard Matt call her name and turned her head to reply with a sarcastic retort, but that reply died on her lips as she saw Matt's horse safely take the jump and Matt take the fall.

"Matt!" Dee yelled as she turned her mount around and trotted back to where his horse had stopped, after losing his rider.

She dismounted; tied both horses' reins to a nearby bush and ran down the hill to where Matt lay, unconscious.

'I need help on bridle-path three. Rider has fallen off horse and is unconscious.' Dee called over the Connection, automatically falling back on her first-aid training, before kneeling down next to Matt.

"Matt, oh Matt." Dee cried, as she passed her hands gently over his body.

"Everything's going to be alright." She said, trying to reassure Matt as well as herself.

Dee found a bump, the size of a golf ball, on the back of Matt's head and a bad break, just above his left knee.

"Oh Matt, could you open your eyes for me...please? Please Matt, open your eyes for me; it will make it easier for me to start healing you if you'll open those gorgeous amber eyes of yours." Dee pleaded.

But Matt's eyes didn't open, so Dee placed both of her hands on either side of his head and struggled to make a connection anyway, to allow her healing powers to seep into Matt's body. She didn't stop, or look up when she heard two people come running up behind her.

'Have you been able to make a connection?' Her father asked softly, even in sub-vocal speech, so as not to startle Dee and cause her to lose her link.

'Yes, but it's difficult, with his eyes closed.' Dee replied.

'Marc and I will help; transfer our energy to you and more help is on its way. Use the Connection to gather more energy as well.' Max reminded his daughter.

'Okay, that's better, thanks.' Dee said, as she felt the infusion of new energy. 'The swelling in Matt's head is going down...'

Matt came back from the cold, dark place he had been knocked into when his head hit the rock, but couldn't open his eyes, or makes a sound. Every part of his body hurt, but his head and his leg were in agony. Then he felt warmth, concern and love overflow him and encircle him, as if he were being wrapped up in a soft quilt. Incredibly, the pain in his head began to ease and with the lessening, Matt was able to sense more of what was going on around him.

He felt two, soft and gentle hands cupping his head and he heard several people come running up to where he lay, but then nothing else; no voices asking questions or giving instructions. He did however, sense emotions; they were washing over him like waves upon the shore and as his head cleared, he started to make sense of them. Worry and sorrow were the top most emotions; so much concern for him and what had befallen him...and a deep sorrow from a heart which was in the process of being broken...by him. Underneath these surface emotions, Matt sensed attraction, admiration...and love; but a bruised and hurting love...Hurting because...he had not...loved in return.

Matt could not, for the live of him, think of a person who loved him that much and would be able to heal him at the same time; the healing ruled out his parents and sister...so who could this be? Matt struggled to crack his eyes open, just a little. It seemed to take forever, but after blinking several times, to help clear his vision, he realized that he was looking into the beautiful face of Dee Evans. Dee did not see that Matt had cracked open his eyes at first, because her own eyes were swimming with tears, concentration, worry...and love. Matt could not believe what he was feeling or seeing. How could all of these feelings be coming from Dee? His thoughts slowed down enough for them to clearly ask a question.

'Are all of those emotions for me; the tears and worry? And am I responsible for her sorrow and wounded heart as well?'

Dee heard Matt's thoughtful questions and her eyes shot to his and focused. She did not answer his query, but Matt could see her response in the eyes she locked with his and sense her emotions more clearly, through their visual connection.

Dee was then flooded with Matt's sense of wonder, amazement, joy...riding side by side with his guilt, sorrow and...attraction, admiration and...love...for her...She quickly closed mental doors so that no one else, nearby, or linked-in through the Connection, could hear their private conversation, as she bravely took the first step to clarify their thoughts for each other; she had, had enough misery and it was time to end it.

'Have we been working at cross purposes; hiding our true feelings from each other?' She asked.

'I...I think so.' Matt admitted, hesitantly. 'How can we be speaking to each other...in our heads?'

"It's just something Antarians can do; create a mental connection through physical touch, but don't worry, we can't read your mind or anything.'

Matt nodded, slightly and then winced.

'Oh, I'm so sorry, let us finish healing you and then we can talk, okay?' Dee asked before focusing on her task at hand.

Matt then noticed that there were several other people standing around him; their eyes closed and a hand extended to touch Dee on her back or shoulders. He recognized Mr. Evans and Marc, but none of the other three men and women who surrounded him.

'What are they doing?' He asked.

'The others are giving me some of their energy, so that I can heal you.' Dee explained, as she shifted her gentle hands down Matt's neck and arms.

'Your touch is so gentle; I wouldn't have thought that possible of someone who could literally throw me across the room.'

'We'll talk about that later; just relax and let me finish healing you.' Dee said again, as she paused for a moment to brush some of his hair off of his forehead.

Matt sighed as he felt the pain leave him, closed his eyes and relaxed. He savored the feeling of Dee's gentle touch as she ran her hands over his body.

'I'm touching you for clinical reasons.' Dee's voice broke into the fantasy his tired mind was weaving. 'Get your mind out of the gutter, you're distracting me.'

'I thought you couldn't read my mind.'

'I can't, but you're broadcasting your thoughts; I've had to shut some mental doors, so that the others; my father in particular, doesn't hear them. Please control your fantasies so that I can open the doors again; I need their energy to finish this.'

Once again, Matt relaxed and just tried to envision his broken bones meshing together; his skin mending itself.

'Very good, that helps a lot.' Dee remarked. 'Almost done...There, how do you feel?'

Matt did a mental inventory and stretched his muscles and wiggled his toes.

"This in incredible, all of my pain is gone! My head, my leg and everything in between! I saw how screwed up my leg was and now..." Matt slowly lifted his leg and bent the knee. "It is completely healed!"

"Why don't you try slowly sitting up." Max suggested and supported Matt, as he sat up. "Any light-headedness, pain or blurred vision?"

"No, I feel fine!" Matt replied, grinning, and then he looked at Dee. "Thank you...very much for healing me...all of you." Matt dragged his gaze away from Dee, to look around him at the smiling faces, above him.

"Do you feel like you could stand up?" Max asked, still concerned.

"Yeah, I think so." Matt said and got to his feet, with a little help from Marc and Max.

"Still okay? How's the leg?" Dee asked.

"It feels great; you do great work, Dr. Evans!" He grinned at her and ran his hand up and down her arm.

"Doctor, huh? Does that mean I can bill you?" Dee joked back.

"Oh man, how much do you charge?" Matt asked, half joking, half wary.

"Why don't we go and discuss that?" Dee asked, taking his arm. "Dad, could we use your vehicle and would someone please take the horses back to their stable?" Dee asked and was answered with understanding nods.

Dee drove them back to her family's home, but instead of leading him inside, she led him out back to the old tree house.

"Do you think you can climb up there? I think some neighboring kids left their sleeping bags up there, so we'll be warm while we talk." Dee said.

"Sure, I can climb up there; it doesn't look nearly as high off the ground, as it looked when I was seven years old."

They both climbed up and there were indeed two sleeping bags rolled up in one corner. They unzipped them and half sat on them, half snuggled into them. After an awkward pause, Matt started.

"Um, maybe I should start, by apologizing for the way I've been treating you. Even if you hadn't needed to heal me, I owe you an apology." Matt sighed deeply. "These powers of yours and the way I was initiated to them, really threw me for a loop! Knowing a girl, who could do what you can do...um...unmanned me...I guess." Matt couldn't look up at Dee for a moment.

"Any of us can do what I can; it's not just Antarian girls who can...um...throw guys around a room!" Humor sparkled in her eyes and then dimmed. "I need to apologize as well. I shouldn't have used my powers against you like that; we don't use them to harm..."

"You were trying to protect your people." Matt cut in, understanding. "I'd say let's just call us even, except I know that there's no way I'll ever be able to repay you for your healing me."

"There's no debt, we would do that for anyone..." Dee said reaching out to touch his hand and Matt turned his so that he could clasp hers.

"Do you...really feel...all of those things...for me?" Matt asked, softly.

"Do you...feel those things...for me?" Dee asked in reply.

"Yes!" They said together, as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

Neither of them realized that they were moving closer, until their lips brushed...and then clung. Their arms came up to encircle each other.

'How can this be happening; this love at first sight?' Dee asked, as she opened her lips to Matt's passionate mouth. 'We've only known each other for a short time and most of that time we've spent fighting, but even so...'

'Even so, when I first met you, I felt an instant attraction to you and soon after that I was falling in love with you.' Matt finished for her, telling of both his and her first reactions to the other.

Quite a while later, Matt and Dee came into the house, hand in hand.

"Hey, where have you two been?" Libby asked. "Marc told me what happened; are you okay?"

"Yes, Libby, I'm just fine, thanks to all of you." Matt reached out and shook Marc's hand.

"So...what's with the hand holding, puffy lips and messy hair?" Libby asked coyly.

"Um, well...Matt and I...talked...about our true feelings for each other and we..." Dee broke off, blushing and Matt finished for her.

"We realized that we love each other!" He exclaimed happily, gazing into Dee's beautiful, big eyes. "We know that we still have a lot to learn about each other; and that, that will be difficult; our living in two different states, but we'll work something out."

Marc had watched all of this silently.

'Oh man, I never would have thought that Matt and Dee would ever fall in love, much less have the guts to admit it, after all of their spits and spats.' He thought for a few minutes. 'But if they can do it, why can't I be brave enough to tell Libby what I want for the two of us?'

"Hey Libby, would you like to go for a walk?" Marc asked, all of a sudden.

"Um, sure, Marc." Libby agreed, hesitantly. "We'll see you two later." Libby told her twin and Matt.

Dee and Matt snuggled into each other's arms in a corner of the sofa, as Libby and Marc walked out through the French doors.

"Hey, didn't you say that the little Tupper kids were playing in your tree house, the other day?" Marc asked Libby. "Don't they usually leave their sleeping bags up there? Would you mind sitting up in the old fort while we talk? That way we can be comfortable and private." Marc asked.

"Um no, the fort sounds nice." Libby agreed.

They walked over, climbed up to the upper level and unrolled the sleeping bags, which had been stored in one corner, so they could half sit, half snuggle into them.

"Hey, wait a minute, these sleeping bags are warm!" Libby exclaimed. "Do you think that this is where Matt and Dee have been all this time?"

"You don't think they...?" Marc asked, ready to jump out of the sleeping bag if Libby answered with a yes.

"Of course they didn't...make love; here or anywhere else. They aren't even engaged. I'm just sensing a lot of...kissing. That okay with you, Love?"

"Sure." Marc agreed. "What do you think about us...following their example?" He suggested.

"Oh yeah, I'd like that...only I had the feeling that there was something you wanted to talk to me about." Libby said.

"Oh man, you had to remind me." Marc joked. "Yes of course, I do have something I wanted to tell you...and that is...that is...Libby, I've known you all of our lives; we've always been best friends and now we've been in love with each other for..."

"Almost our whole lives, as well." Libby finished for him and Marc looked gratefully and wonderingly into her eyes, as he heard her confirm their feelings for each other.

"Yesss, we have, haven't we? Well anyway, I've been wanting to ask you this for a long time..." Marc rose to kneel on his sleeping bag. "Liza Belle Evans, I love you with all my heart; with all my mind and with all of my soul; will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?" Libby launched herself into Marc's arms, even before he finished his proposal.

"Marc, yes, yes, yes!" She cried happily, as she kissed him all over his face and neck.

"I, I haven't spoken to your father yet and I know that he'll think you're too young..."

"But we'll work something out!" Libby assured him.

"We?" Marc asked.

"Of course, 'we'!" Libby said. "Come on, let's go talk to him now!"

"May I have your attention, please?" Max called out over the noise of his extended family and friends, later that night. "Before we make the final count down to the New Year, I would like to make an announcement." Everyone became quiet, as Max looked over to Libby and Marc and then to Liz who was already smiling.

"It is my great pleasure to announce that Libby and Marc are engaged to be married!" Max had to wait a few minutes, as everyone started cheering and clapping. "They will be getting married one year from now; and they will let you all know when they've picked the actual date.

"I thought your family had short engagements, Max; after what you and Liz went through, waiting just six months!" Grandpa Phillip asked.

"One year was a compromise." Libby explained. "Daddy thinks I'm too young to get married..."

"You are; you're only nineteen." Max reminded her.

"Yeah and you wanted us to wait two, whole years, until I turned twenty-one and graduated from college...and Marc and I would like to be married no later than next June..."

"So after much arguing between father and daughter, I suggested a compromise of one year." Marc finished and everyone laughed.

'Hmmm, one whole year for use to get to know one another; maybe we'll want to join Marc and Libby at the altar, in one year!' Matt suggested to Dee, sub-vocally, as they held each other's hands and grinned at the other young couple.

'Maybe we will!' Was all Dee would say in return.

Part 39

2037, 6 Years Later

Five-year old Jason Blair looked through the rails of the crib where three, one-year old toddlers were supposed to be taking a nap. Jason stuck his small hand through the slats and gently stroked the downy-soft cheek of little Judy, who was wide awake and gazing back at him with just as much interest in her big blue eyes.

Judy slowly stood up on her just-learning-to-walk-feet, held on to the side of the crib with one tiny hand and stretched out her other towards the boy who had come to visit her. Judy's palm glowed just as she touched Jason's cheek and left behind a tiny silver hand-print after she withdrew it; both children giggled as Jason brought up his own hand to rub over the silver mark, which he knew was there.

"Hey there buddy." Matt Blair greeted his oldest child as he quietly came into the nursery. "I thought you were supposed to be taking a nap as well."

"Couldn't sweep." Jason told his father. "Ju'y couldn't either."

"So I see." Matt said, as Judy lifted up her arms to him.

"Up, up." She cooed.

"Up, up." Matt repeated, as he swung Judy up in the air before cuddling her close to his chest. "There you go sweetheart; well your diaper doesn't need changing." He muttered after checking quickly. "Why don't we go find your mommy and daddy, huh? Let them figure out why their daughter isn't getting her beauty rest."

"Mm, mm, d, d, d." Judy agreed.

"Up too, Daddy." Jason said.

"Okay sport...argh!" Matt made a noise as if Jason were too heavy to pick up...as he easily picked up his son in one strong arm and carried both children out to the Evan's family room.

"Hey Greg, Audra, look who I found wide awake and flirting with my son; she even put her mark on him!" Matt joked, as he carried both children in on his arms; both with their weary heads resting on his chest.

"Oh Jason, did Judy leave another silver hand-print on you, honey?" Dee Blair asked and saw her son nod happily, if sleepily.

"Here Judy, come snuggle with your mommy and daddy." Audra came over and gently took her third child and only daughter out of her friend's arms and walked over to sit next to her husband of five years, Greg Hamilton, who encircled his wife and child with his arms.

"Our Judith does like to leave her mark." Greg remarked. "It's her way of saying 'hello' or 'I like you'."

"I don't know which 'greeting' I prefer best; Judy's hand print, or our Anne's habit of making things glow." Phillip replied. "Whatever she grabs hold of, starts to glow; your nose, your ear, your finger...!"

"That's what our twins, Martha and Mary liked to do; say hello with a glow!" Amy and her husband of five years, Shaun Murphy chuckled together.

"Paul preferred leaving his mark...in the strangest places." Phillip remembered what his and Sue's three-year old used to do as a baby.

"I wonder why our children show their powers so early; Mom and Dad have told me that we never did stuff like this." Amy asked.

"Neither did we." Phillip replied. "But Dad and I looked through the historical records and they say that it's a normal part of a child's development; to show their powers so early."

"Then why didn't we?" Phillip's sister, Libby Guerin asked.

"Mom thinks it's because we picked up on their nervousness, that it was instinctive for us to sense how worried our parents were, that we would do something dangerous out in public. They didn't have to say anything; we always seemed to understand that we must not betray our people." Dee explained.

"We were the first generation to grow up here in Airatan and our children are the second; I think we feel a lot safer and secure than our parents did." Phillip added and prayed that it would always be so, within this select, little community of theirs.

"What are you two lady's looking at?" Matt asked Dee and Sue. While he had been checking up on the sleeping children, his wife and sister-in-law had opened up a bunch of picture files on the computer and were organizing them on the TV.

"I would think that's obvious, Matt." Sue razzed her brother. "Since we're celebrating Phil and my 6th wedding anniversary and yours and Dee's and Libby and Marc's fifth anniversaries, what do you think we're looking at, pictures of Mom and Dad's latest movie?"

"Pictures of Mom and Dad? I'd love to see those!" Matt teased back. "I know, you're looking at pictures from one of the happiest days of my life." Matt said, seriously, glancing over to his beloved wife, Dee.

"Right answer, sweetheart." Dee approved. "Come sit back down next to me so you can see too."

Matt did so smoothly, not wanting to wake up his now sleeping son. Greg, with little Judy in his arms and Audra; Libby and Marc and Amy and Shaun all moved their chairs or came to sit on the floor so that they could watch the slide show and home movies.

"I still can't believe what you two wore to your own weddings!" Sue laughed at Dee and Libby.

"Hey, we wanted to keep it simple." Dee reminded her friend and sister-in-law. "And we looked great, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah, but to just wear your robes with only a long-sleeved, turtle-necked lace body-suit, a garter belt and lace stockings and-that's-all-underneath is really, really simple!" Phillip agreed, laughing.

'And very easy to get you out of, once we reached our hotel room!' Matt reminded Dee, silently, but they both started to laugh at their shared memory.

"What's the laughter for?" Sue asked.

"Nothing really, just a private joke." Matt said, trying to tone down the grin on his face.

"Uh huh." Everyone else said.

"We started a trend back to our Antarians traditions." Libby reminded them.

"I'll say, now every couple who gets married here, only wears their robes, as they used to on Antar; unless it's winter, then they wear a little something underneath for warmth, but not much more." Phillip replied, resigned.

"Matt and Dee; and Libby and Marc started the trend, but we brought it to fruition at our weddings; we were the first two couples to wear only our robes." Amy said; looking at her husband, Marc and two friends, Audra and Greg, who had all been a part of the trend-setting ceremony.

"At least our brides continue to wear garters, or I might never have met my Audra." Greg remarked and then kissed his wife, sweetly.

"I keep on forgetting that you didn't grow up here, Greg; you fit so well into our little group." Phil said.

Greg Hamilton and his parents had lived on one of the planets within the Unified Alliance of Planets. His parents had come to Earth several times over the years, to speak to Max and Liz, but had never brought their only child with them. He had however, been taught English and Earth customs, as he grew up. When he was eighteen, his parents decided to move permanently to Airatan and Greg, now a young adult had come with them. To earn money for college, Greg had worked as a waiter for the better hotel in town, which catered Matt, Dee, Libby and Marc's wedding.

"Oh man, I have video footage of that, let me find it!" Sue exclaimed and quickly searched her video catalogue and then opened the proper file.

"There's Dee, throwing her bouquet and Audra catching it." Amy called out, as they all watched.

The guys sang some strip-tease music as they watched Matt taking off Dee's garter, which had been placed high up on her thigh.

"Now Matt's throwing the garter..."

"Why can't you throw that well when we play baseball, Matt?" Phil joked.

"...and there it sails over all the bachelor's heads to land on...Greg's serving tray as he passed behind them, to serve some drinks!" Sue finished and everyone laughed and cheered for their newest friend, Greg.

"It's a good thing your boss was such a romantic." Audra remarked. "He let you take an extended break so you could put Dee's garter onto my leg and then you were able to dance with me for a while."

"That was one of the best moments in my life." Greg remembered, gazing deeply into Audra's eyes. "I had only come to Earth a few months before; I was working and studying hard, everything was new and different; then I'm working at this reception and I see an angel sitting up at the head table. I can't keep my eyes off of her...and nearly two hours later, she's in my arms, we're dancing and she tells me that she hadn't been able to keep her eyes off of me either!"

"I love hearing that story, no matter how many times I hear it." Libby sighed happily, watching the video of waiter-Greg and bride's-maid-Audra dancing closely together.

As he watched the videos, Matt thought back over the last six years. After Sue and Phillip's wedding, all the Harvard/MIT students had returned to college and Matt had returned to New York; his classes, rehearsals and performances. For the first six months, he and Dee had called each other once a week and one of them would drive to see the other over the weekend, once a month and had really got to know each other well.

Over the last half of that year, the phone calls gradually became longer and occurred more often than just once a week. Spending time with each other became so addictive to them that their grades started to fail and they had to back off a little so that they could keep their grade point average up. But always, Matt had counted the days, hours and minutes until he could speak to Dee again, see her lovely face, kiss her sweet lips and touch her soft skin.

After they were married in the same ceremony with Libby and Marc, Matt and Dee had both transferred to the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque and finished up their Bachelor's degrees. Dee attended law school there and Matt jointed the Airatan Theatrical Troop. They built their home and then started their family soon after.

"Before we float away on feminine tears, why don't we take a break and prepare everything we're going to need for our fondue dinner tonight?" Phil suggested.

"What's to prepare?" Matt asked, coming out of his own memories.

"The different kinds of cheeses need to be cut up into cubes and so does the bread: then we'll want to wash the fruit, get the marshmallows out..."

"Marshmallows in cheese fondue? Oh man!" Matt groaned.

"Dimwit, I know I told you that we were having cheese fondue for dinner and then chocolate fondue for dessert!" Dee playfully swatted her husband.

"Oh yeah, now I remember. I knew there had to be a good reason for me to be here with all of you!" Matt jokingly made it sound as though being with his friends was a real sacrifice.

"Yeah that's one of the minor reasons and if you don't start acting more friendlily, you won't get any strawberries to dip into the chocolate!" Dee warned.

Matt immediately started running around the room and hugged everyone.

"Is that friendly enough? May I have some chocolate-covered strawberries, please, oh please, please?" He begged his wife.

"Man, no wonder you're such a great actor, Matt; you're such a ham!" Phil slapped his brother-in-law on the back.

"Is that cheese-covered ham?" Matt didn't give up.

"Only if we get the ham off of your skinny back-side." Sue laughed.

"Ooh, ouch!" Matt side-stepped away from Sue and Phillip.

"So how's the theater season going so far?" Shaun asked Matt, to change the subject, as everyone got up and moved into the semi-attached kitchen.

"Really well; all of our performances are sold out and we may have to add some matinees." Humans do seem to love Antarian theater."

"That they do; the Troop has been growing and becoming more popular each year." Phillip, Airatan's CEO stated.

"How do you like teaching, Professor Evans, or is that Doctor Evans?" Audra asked Sue, who had just received her Ph.D. in microbiology the spring before and started teaching last fall.

"I love teaching; the kids, who call me Professor Evans, by the way, are just great; so enthusiastic and full of life! My colleagues call me Doctor Evans even though I'm a Ph.D. and not a M.D."

"Aren't you doing any clinical work; you know; experiments?" Amy asked, anxious to understand what her friend had been doing lately, since she had graduated.

"I've been able to do some, but I'm new at the tricky process of applying for grant money; besides, teaching takes up most of my time, which isn't already filled with taking care of this lot!" Sue said, nodding to her beloved husband and thinking about their son and daughter, in their rooms, taking naps.

"I have always loved this house, especially this kitchen." Audra told Sue, as all of the friends worked together, companionably. "It's no where near as large as Max and Liz's house; it doesn't need to be, but it's so well designed that all ten of us can work in here or at the table and not get in each other's way."

"I do too." Sue agreed, happily. "Max and especially Liz helped us a lot when we were designing it, so that it's worked very well for Phil, the kids and I and it should also suit Max and Liz's needs when we switch houses with them."

"When you switch houses...?" Amy asked.

"Yes, this house was always meant to be a starter-house for us, while our children were young and then a home for Max and Liz when they retire in five years and...you know, Phillip...and I...um, take their place as king...and queen. Their house was designed to be the home of the Royal Family and this way it can continue to be just that." Sue explained and the other girls nodded.

"Are you ready to be queen, Sue?" Audra asked.

"No, not yet, but I'm getting there. Phil and I have been studying with Max and Liz; Antarian law and customs, ever since we were married, more so since we moved back here, four years ago."

"That'll certainly be a ceremony to see; when my friends become my king and queen..." Amy said dreamily, before they went back to their dinner preparations and then had a great time spending the rest of the evening together with their friends and children.

Part 40 The Conclusion

2042, 5 Years Later

Tage and Nasus were reading over the last chapters of each other's life stories, which Tage's son, Eric had helped them write. All of the elder Antarians had been working on this project of documenting their history, off and on, for eleven years and now everything would be ready for the ceremony and celebrations, tomorrow.

"The two of us are the oldest, surviving Anatarians, my friend." Nasus said. "What we and the other elders have seen in our long lives..." She shook her head in wonderment.

Tage Paterson could only nod in agreement; no words could easily describe what they had both seen in their one hundred twelve years of living; an old age, for an Antarian, but by no means a record. Tage's memory traveled back through time...

"Mama, Papa, is today the day? Are we really going to the Palace today?" An eleven year old Tage asked his parents excitedly.

"Yes son, today is the spring opening of the Royal Gardens and our new king and queen, Welmax and Belleisa, have invited us and many others to come; and they especially wanted all of you children to attend." Tage's mama answered.

"So you must be on your very best behavior." Tage's papa said and Tage nodded solemnly.

He knew that it was a great honor to be invited to the Palace; he would do his very best not to embarrass his parents that day. When he, his parents and his two sisters arrived at the gardens, later that day, Tage walked between his parents as they wandered down the trails, which meandered their way through the many, many different types of flowers, bushes and trees; his sisters ran a little ahead of them. Tage's eyes would have spun around his head if they could, to allow him to see everything they passed by; all the colors, shapes and textures.

Finally, they reached a large open area by the Palace. All of the children were encouraged to come to the front of the crowd, so that they could see and Tage left his parents. Shortly afterwards, a murmur went through the crowd as they saw King Welmax and Queen Belleisa casually walk out of the Palace and up to the balustrade of the upper patio, so everyone could see them.

Tage looked up and saw his rulers for the first time. The King was tall and handsome, with shoulder-length brown hair; he wore a long, white, sleeveless ceremonial robe, which showed off his muscular arms and some of his chest. The Queen was also tall and lovely, with long, straight blond hair; she also wore her robe, which showed off her slim form. Both robes were edged in gold and they also wore their gold circlets around their heads. In their arms they both held a child. Tage knew that these three-month old babies were the Crown Prince Zan and the Princess Velondra. The baby prince had a cap of straight brown hair and the princess had golden ringlets.

"Lovely morning to you, good Antarians." King Welmax called out.

"Lovely morning, Sire." Everyone answered, happily as they all bowed low.

"Thank you for coming to our first official ceremony." Welmax said; indicating for Belleisa to continue.

"The King and I and our little prince and princess would like to welcome you all to the opening of the Royal Gardens. May all of the flowers, bushes, trees and other living things within, grow strong and beautiful and we pray that you will all enjoy their lovely scents, colors and shade."

The royal couple raised their free hands, gesturing for everyone to wander around the gardens freely. Musicians started to play; some danced their way among the plants and Tage's sisters and many of the other children followed them on a musical and magical tour of the flowers. Acrobats and other performers started entertaining children and adults alike, who opted to stay on the Green. Tage's eyes grew large and round as he saw the King and Queen walk down the stairs from their balcony...and strolled over to...him.

"Hello young-one, what is your name?" Queen Belleisa asked in a gentle voice and with a kind smile on her face.

"Tage, Your Highness." He responded as he had been taught.

"Tage, it is very nice to meet you." Welmax said in his soft, gentle voice. "May we introduce you to Zan and Velondra?" The King and Queen gracefully knelt down next to him so that he was eye to eye with the babies.

Little Zan reached out a tiny glowing hand and grabbed onto Tage's pinky finger, which he had stuck out towards the babies. Tage grinned as his digit started to glow.

"It's an honor to meet you, Prince Zan." He said.

Then baby Velondra touched his cheek and he could feel the warmth of a silver hand-print forming on his skin.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Princess."

Both royal parents grinned at the small boy and then at their precious children, before standing back up.

"Enjoy the gardens, young Tage." Belleisa told him and Welmax smiled good-bye before they strolled off to meet some of their other subjects. Tage took off running, to find his parents and tell them what had happened.

Six Years Later.

Tage's mama was looking over his educational marks for the year.

"Top of your class again my son; your papa and I are so proud!" She kissed him on the cheek. Just then Tage's papa came into the room.

"Look at the marks our son has received for his education this year!" Mama held the form out to Papa, who took it and studied it.

"Well done, my son; well done in deed!" Papa praised Tage, but there was a worry hidden within his thoughts and his wife sensed it.

"What's wrong?"

"There is to be an important announcement from the Palace in one hour; it is recommended that only adults and children over fifteen years link in to see it."

"Oh my...an age limit? There haven't been age limits on Royal announcements since the last wars, millennia ago. What could this be about?"

One hour later, Tage, his two sisters and their parents linked into the Community's Connection to see the announcement. When he saw the King and Queen's expressions, Tage knew that they were about to deliver very serious news indeed. All softness, gentleness and kindness had been wiped off of their faces and out of their voices. Their whole demeanor was controlled; no emotions were allowed to leak out, but Tage could sense them boiling together behind the mental walls of control.

"Good Antarians, the King and I have some very serious news to give you." Belleisa started. "Once again, we recommend that no child under fifteen be linked-in for this announcement. It will be better if you explain the situation to them, after we are done here."

"The Queen and I urge you to remain calm." Welmax said. "Our scientists have made their final reports to us; these reports are the culmination of hundreds of years of solar observations and study. To put it simply, our sun, Antaria is dying." A visual representation of their solar system came up behind the royal couple.

"Something is wrong and Antaria will go nova much sooner than a star of its type should. We don't know the reasons, only that it will do so and that when it does, Antar will be destroyed as well."

Tage and his family could feel the calming minds of the Antarian Peace-Keeping Forces and those of all relevant scientists, working to keep order within the Connection, as an uproar could be sensed across the planet. But the Peace-Keeping Forces did their jobs very well; calming everyone so that the King and Queen could continue.

"As we all struggle to deal with and accept this information in our own ways, let us give you all one ray of hope." Welmax continued. "We do have limited space-travel capabilities. We have always sent unmanned probes out into space, to explore the galaxy and send information back to us. Our scientists believe that these probe-craft can be modified to carry one child or small adult, each, away from Antar and to land on another planet, where it would be safe for them to live."

"This is what we must focus on now, good Antarians." Belleisa said firmly. "We must all band together to modify the probe-craft and build more so that we can save as many of our children as possible."

"There is enough time to accomplish this, but only if every one of us gives his or her all to this imperative endeavor. Will you help?" Welmax asked and he was gratified to hear many voices shouting "yes!"

He had, at least for the time being, focused everyone's minds onto the positive; the work every one could be kept busy with. As the months flew by, the work and the Connection would be what kept every one sane. Antarians were such a community-oriented people; they had always worked closely together; the Connection quietly acting as a conduit for information, solidarity, strength and calm. If someone started to panic or become depressed, another person would always be there to help lead him or her back to the light of purpose and calm.

As it became evident that there would not be enough space craft to save every child, age restrictions were given, as to which children would be allowed to escape. It was reasoned that older children would be better able to take care of themselves once they reached their destinations. When Tage heard that only children older than ten years would be able to go, he instantly thought of Prince Zan and Princess Velodra, who were only six years old.

"Mama, Papa, what will happen to Prince Zan and Princess Velondra, or even King Welmax and Queen Belleisa? They will be able to escape, won't they? Antarians can't be a whole people without the Royal Family, can they?"

"I don't know about the children, but the King and Queen have already announced that they will stay with Antar to the last." Tage's papa answered, but his question started to pop up in many conversations in the days to come, until a planet-wide cry built up to save the Prince and Princess.

"Good Antarians, we will heed your cry and send our Prince and Princess away from Antar with the other children." Belleisa said. "Because they are so young, we will send them with two of their best friends, Rath and Ava, the children of our Royal Counselors and along with the four will be sent a protector. We will send them all in the proto-type space craft, which has only just been completed and perfected."

"We thank you for your concern for us and our children and heirs." Welmax said. "May all of our young ones who leave us, travel with the same strength of character, courage and concern for others, that you all have shown and may they all find safe and loving new homes."

Wellmax and Belleisa would repeat those words one month later as Tage and the other children were readied to be placed in their stasis chambers. Somehow, his and all of the parents remained dry-eyed as they told their children how much they loved them and how proud they were of them; these words and actions helped Tage and the other kids be brave as they were put into a deep sleep and then placed into their stasis chambers...

The next thing Tage knew, he was waking up within his stasis chamber; incredibly, he realized that a great deal of information had been added to his memory while he slept. He knew that he and the others had covered millions and millions of miles and landed on a planet called Earth; he now had access to several different Earth languages, a basic world history and an understanding of where on this world they had landed. It was incredible, the amount of information that probes sent to Earth had been able to learn.

While Tage was accessing his orb and the probe's computer for more information, he was informed that two of his companions' probe-craft had landed badly and that they were wounded. Since they had all been naked when they were put into their stasis chambers, to allow for nutrient absorption through osmosis, Tage quickly got dressed and opened the stasis chamber and probe hatch. He met his two sisters as they exited their probe-craft at the same time.

"Are you two alright?" Tage asked them after he took his first good look at all of their craft. It turned out that none of them had landed well.

"We're fine, but my orb told me that the others are injured; but what happened to the proto-type craft with the Royal Four and their protector inside?"

"I don't know, we can look for them after we see to the others. Let's change our clothes into something warmer and get to work." Tage said.

They did so and then went to open the hatches of their friend's space craft. They were hampered by the darkness, for they had landed at night; and by the cold for it seemed to be winter, with snow on the ground and not a building or tree to be seen for miles. They worked together to heal their friends as well as they could and get them dressed in warm clothes. Then they accessed their orbs to find out where they were.

"We have landed in a place called Sweden." Tage said. "There is a small town just a few miles from here. Luckily, Swedish is one of the languages I was taught, along with Spanish."

"I was taught Italian and Japanese." Christina, one of their friends who had been injured, said.

"I was taught German and Russian, which might also come in handy." Christina's brother said; he had been the other friend who had been injured and they both were still weak.

"I was taught Cantonese and Hindi." One of Tage's sisters said.

"I was taught English and French." The other told them.

"Well we better all set our orbs to teaching us more of the native and neighboring languages as soon as possible." Tage instructed and they all did so. "Now, let's also check our orbs for the whereabouts of the Royal Four." He said.

"The instruments can't tell where they went after they veered off from us while we were still out in space." Christina said a few minutes later.

"We don't even know if they are alive." One of the others said, worriedly.

"No need to give up hope yet." Tage told them. "We need to find shelter and then we can try to find them after that. Let's transfer all records and information into our pods, get our packs, destroy the ships and get going. We have to get out of this cold."

One hour later, the five friends reached the outskirts of a small town. As they saw inhabitants of the town from some way off, they changed their own clothing to match, so they could blend in. When they heard a woman cry out, up ahead, Tage left the others to run and see what had happened. The others came more slowly, helping Christina and her brother, who were almost out of strength. Walking had been difficult, through the snow, cold and wind, while helping their injured friends along.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" Tage asked as he ran up to the woman, who was sitting on the ground, cradling her wrist.

"The wheel on my cart fell off and threw me off balance, so that I fell. I put out my hand out, to break my fall, but I think that I've broken my wrist instead and now I'll never get my groceries home." The older woman said.

"Please, let me help you." Tage said and he carefully felt her wrist. "I don't think it's broken, but let's wrap it in this scarf to mobilize it, just in case." Tage created a scarf as he pulled some cloth out of his pocket and gently wrapped the woman's wrist up in it. "Which way do you live? I'll be happy to push your cart home for you." Tage said, after he temporarily fixed the wheel.

"Thank you, young man. My name is Mrs. Petersen; Mrs. Hedvid Petersen. May I know your name?" Tage quickly took a name out of Swedish history and silently urged the others to do the same.

"My name is Tage, Mrs. Petersen." He told her as they arrived at her tiny home. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could find someplace to stay, would you?"

Mrs. Petersen looked around at these five young strangers.

"You can stay with me. My house is tiny and we won't have much room, but you are most welcome." She said, somehow knowing that these young people would be no danger to her and that it was the right thing to do.

And that is how five young Antarians found their first home on the planet Earth. They took care of Hedvig Petersen as she took care of them; helping them finish their education and get jobs and they eventually took her last name as their own. She never knew where they came from, but always knew that "her kids" were special.

Tage remembered the next five years, living with Hedvig. They tried to make contact with the Royal Four or their protector, but were never able to do so. Two of their five orbs had been destroyed in the crash. Five years after the crash, Tage and Christina had married and bought their own tiny home. Tage remembered each time one of the others fell in love with a Human and then told their soul-mates the truth about who they really were and the anxiety they all felt until that special Human would set their worries to rest by accepting and loving them all even though they were "different".

He remembered trying to call out, using his orb each year, for thirty years and never getting any answer, from the Royal Four or from anyone out in space. He and Christina had born and raised two children of their own and seen them married themselves, before Tage had finally given up and accepted that Prince Zan and Princess Velondra, their friends and protector must be dead and that the five of them were the only surviving Antarians on Earth. He would have slumped into a deep depression if his first granddaughter hadn't come into the world just then. From the first time she made his pinky finger glow, she had owned his heart and made it beat with joy again.

"Have you been remembering?" Nasus' voice gently broke into Tage's thoughts. "You've been quiet for almost an hour."

"Yes, I'm sorry my friend; what with the ceremony taking place tomorrow, I can't help but think of the past."

"I know me too." Nasus admitted. "I had just reached my memories of when Max first made contact with us."

"Me too, so my memory comes first." Tage told her about it." We were all so worried that the military had figured out how to work an orb somehow and that it was a trap, when we received his message. Some of my family didn't even want us to try and make contact, but they were voted down and we answered the message. When we found out that Max Evans was actually our prince..." Tage paused for a moment, one hand covering his face as he tried to compose himself.

"We had tried for thirty years to make contact with the Royal Four or anyone else for that matter, without any results. The five of us thought that we were the only survivors on Earth and we wondered if anyone else had made it to a hospitable planet."

"To have thought, even for an instant that you were the last Antarians...anywhere, must have been awful." Nasus empathized.

"And then to find out that we weren't the only ones, not to mention that it was our prince and princess and their friends who had survived...it was as if we came back to life! Now we had a future as well as a link to our past. That was one of the best days of my life; finally being able to see them again...was the best...at least until we made contact with all of you, out in the Alliance."

"That was by far my happiest day so far in my life as well." Nasus said. "We weren't quite so lost, out in the Allliance. Many of us were able to live close by each other and we never had to hide who we were...but there was always a hole in our hearts where the nine of you belonged. Our artistic souls were starving though; immigrating to Earth and arriving in time to see Max and Liz crowned as our king and queen...and recreating the Connection, which had been broken with the death of our people and our home...was my happiest day. Nothing else has surpassed that!"

"Now we've come full circle though, don't you think?" Tage asked. "Every, single Antarian has made their way to Earth for Phillip and Sue's coronation tomorrow; even some of the members from the Alliance Council are here. We are a people joined together in one place again, for the first time in ninety-five years!"

"Yes this will definitely be a time for every Antarian to remember!" Nasus agreed. "Even though some of us will be returning to their homes back in the Alliance, after this ceremony is over, an even stronger link will have been created."

"Grandma Cheryl! Grandpa Mase!" Six-year old Anne Evans and her four year old brother, Fred yelled as Mason and Cheryl came into the Evan's family room with their older brother and cousins, ten-year old Jason Blair, eight-year old Paul Evans and Shiri Blair.

The five of them had been having a lot of...wet fun with water balloons while the younger two were taking their naps. The soaking five had come in to change into some dry clothes; Mason and Cheryl had borrowed some of Max and Liz's clothing as they had done once or twice before.

"You know, you guys are incredible; how can you tell us apart from your Grandma Liz and Grandpa Max? I've always wondered; especially today, Grandma Cheryl and I are exact twins of your other grandparents, our hair is the same, our voices are the same, we are even wearing their clothes, but you can always tell us apart!"

"We can always tell the four of you apart, Grandpa Mase." Paul explained. "Even when we were younger than Freddy is now, we could tell you apart because we couldn't talk to you in our heads like we can Gran'ma Liz and Gran'pa Max. We always say 'hi' underneath first before we say 'hi' out loud." Mason hit the heal of his hand against his forehead in exasperation.

"Why didn't I think of that after all these years?" He asked himself and everyone laughed.

"I wan'na see Mommy!" Fred said as he got up off the floor and headed towards the library.

"You know that you can't go see Mom and Dad in there right now, Freddy." Paul reminded his younger brother. "Remember, tomorrow is the very important day when they become King and Queen and Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Dee and Aunt Libby are in there with some of the Alliance Council members, talking about it."

"Hey Freddy, let's go out to the tree house and swing set!" Mason suggested in an excited voice, to get his grandson's attention and entice him outside and away from his parents.

"OKAY Gran'pa!" Fred yelled excitedly and ran outside on his short, little legs; all of the other kids and the grandparents ran after him to spend some enjoyable time playing on the swings, monkey-bars; in the tree-house and play-house.

The day of Phillip and Sue's coronation arrived; it would be a warm, sunny day, perfect for the ceremony and the festivities, which would follow, afterwards. In anticipation of Sue, Phil and their children moving into the larger "Royal Family house" and Max and Liz moving into the smaller "retirement house", after the coronation, much of their belongings had already been switched, but the last things would be moved during the reception.

It would be a welcome change for all involved; the challenge of Phil and Sue's new role and the larger house for their growing family; the letting go of responsibility, which Max and Liz had carried for thirty-five years and a simpler life in the smaller house. It was still a little bitter-sweet though, when Max and Liz helped Phil and Sue change the genetic-code lock on the secret drawers, hidden in the master bedroom, which held the Royal Circlets. Liz hugged Sue, who had tears in her eyes.

"I'm so happy that you decided to retire now...rather than Phil...and I having to...take your places...later, after you..." Sue sniffed. "But it must be hard to step aside."

"A little." Max admitted with a smile as he hugged his precious daughter-in-law. "But we wanted to be able to pass these circlets onto you under the best possible conditions; things are going well for our people, Liz and I are in good health, so we can enjoy our retirement and yet we'll be here if you need any help, not that we think you will."

"Now we had better get changed into our robes." Liz said. "Yours have been placed in your old room, Phil. Michael, Tess, Libby and Dee will be here soon to escort us down to the Green by the church."

The four of them split up to get changed and indeed, just as they got ready, the past and future Royal Counselors arrived. Max and Liz came out of their room, wearing their robes and circlets and Phil and Sue came out similarly garbed, but without anything on their heads and holding hands.

"Ready?" Michael asked and the four of them nodded.

They walked out of the house in pairs; first Michael and Tess, then Liz and Max, with Dee and Libby coming next and Phil and Sue coming last. The Honor Guard had strung itself out along the path down from the Royal House to the Green. Each pair of guards held two energy pikes and the eight walked under each archway along the way. The Guard alternately stepped in behind or before them, as they walked by.

When they reached the Green, there was an enormous circle made up of Antarians and other Airatan citizens. The town gates had been closed the night before and were still locked to ensure privacy; the Connection assured them that there were no unauthorized people looking on from any vantage point. The eight walked through an opening in the ring and out into the center.

"Can you believe this?" Max whispered to Liz. "At our coronation there were a little over two hundred Antarians in attendance; now, with every Antarian here, there are at least two Thousand! Three hundred children escaped from Antar; ninety-five years later, there are two thousand of us!"

"I guess that means that you are Not so different after all, Max." Liz whispered back, grinning.

"That's what you taught me, Liz; I can do anything as long as you're beside me and I'm not that different at all. I love you, so much Liz. None of this would have been possible without you. You are the one who brought Tess, Isabelle, Michael and I together; you reunited my father with his long, lost brother, Isabelle's father and you helped us build this community." Max drew Liz into his strong arms.

"I...we can never thank you enough for everything you've done for all of us." Then, while both of them wore their circlets and were standing in front of all of their people and dignitaries from the Alliance, Max kissed her deeply, sweetly and with all the love in his heart.

Everyone in the circle, who had heard what Max had whispered to Liz, over the Connection, broke out in spontaneous applause and cheering, until their Royal Couple finally came up for air.

"Are you two ready to begin?" Michael asked them quietly and both Max and Liz nodded.

"Will everyone hold hands and link into the Connection, so that we may begin." Max called out, loudly and everyone did so.

"I, Zan, now named Maxwell Phillip Evans hereby state that I wish to abdicate the crown and kingship of the Antarian people and I freely relinquish all rights, responsibilities and privileges of that royal position from this moment forward."

"I Elizabeth Claudia Evans hereby state that I wish to abdicate the crown and leadership of the Antarian people and I freely relinquish all rights, responsibilities and privileges of that royal position from this moment forward."

As soon as Liz finished her oath, both of their circlets lifted up off of their heads and floated over to land in Michael and Tess' hands. The former Royal Counselors then turned to Dee and Libby and handed the circlets to them. The two young women in turn stepped to face Phillip and Sue as they began their part of the Oath of Royalty and Community.

"I, Phillip Jeffery Evans, son of Maxwell Phillip Evans and Elizabeth Claudia Evans, former king and queen of the Antarian people, hereby state that I wish to be made the new king of the Antarian people, wherever they live and of the citizens of Airatan, New Mexico." He looked to Sue and nodded, smiling.

"I Susan Elizabeth Evans, daughter of Mason and Cheryl Blair, hereby state that I wish to be made the new queen of the Antarian people, wherever they live and the citizens of Airatan, New Mexico." Then, everyone, including their parents, but not the Alliance Council members, said.

"We, the Antarian people, wherever we live and the citizens of Airatan, New Mexico, hereby state that we wish to make Phillip Jeffery Evans and Susan Elizabeth Evans our new king and queen."

The circlets in Dee and Libby's hands floated up into the air, but stopped halfway between Counselors and Royal Couple. Phil and Sue said together.

"We hereby vow to guide our people by the Antarian Ways of Living: Honor, Justice, Love and Kindness." The people answered.

"We hereby vow to heed your guidance so as to follow the Antarian Ways of Living: Honor, Justice, Love and Kindness."

The circlets moved until they hovered over the heads of Phillip and Sue and the two of them continued.

"We vow to be your link to the past, to the future and to each other."

"We vow to link through you to the past, to the future and to each other." The people said and with that final vow, the circlets settled gently onto Phil and Sue's heads. A surge of energy flowed through the Connection just then.

"The Connection just reestablished itself; sort of rejuvenated itself to continue while we are king and queen." Phil explained to Sue.

Sue barely noticed his words though, because she was totally distracted by seeing the enormous ring of over two thousand people bowing low before them...even Max and Liz.

"Mom, Dad, you don't have to...you shouldn't..." Phil tried to say but Max interrupted him.

"Just this once son, let us show our respect to Antar's new king and queen." He said softly, so that only the four of them could hear.

"Just this once." Phil warned.

Seeing the man and woman he most admired, who he called mother and father and also who he had called his king and queen...bowing before him...really moved Phil, as well as Sue. As soon as everyone straightened up, Phil took Sue's hand in his and they bowed in return to their people, but mostly to Max and Liz.

Tears were flowing on many faces as everyone burst into cheers and started to clap. Slowly the ring of people broke up and the festivities were organized. Alien powers were used greatly to produce hot and cold food and refreshments for everyone to eat and drink. Phil and Sue walked over to where their three children were standing with Mason and Cheryl.

"Thanks for watching our little princes and princess for us, Mom and Dad." Sue told them, as they all hugged and then Sue picked up Freddy in her arms and Phil picked up Anne, while they both put their arms around Paul.

"Mommy and Daddy are wearing crowns!" Freddy exclaimed, gazing at the shiny gold rings around his parents' heads.

"Yes they are kiddo." Libby told her nephew as she, Dee, Matt and Marc came up to the group. Libby was looking closely at Sue's circlet.

"Am I mistaken or are there fewer markings on your crowns than there were when Mom and Dad were wearing them?" Phil looked more closely at Sue's circlet as well.

"Yes, I think you'are right, Libby; well there are far fewer Antarians living out in the Alliance now, most of our people live here." He explained.

Max and Liz had wandered over to their friends, Johann and Louise. Johann was their skilled pilot of plane and helicopter and his wife and co-pilot, Louise had been Liz's college roommate.

"I was remembering the first time I met you, Max." Louise said. "You had just saved Liz from being run over by a car and carried her up to our dorm room, because she had sprained her ankle, when I got home. You were so shy back then. You scurried away quickly...but you kept on coming back; dating my good friend here, until you finally asked her to marry you." Max and Liz were grinning, remembering themselves as young college students.

"Now look at you two; you've built this community of which I am a fantastically happy citizen, ruled over it for thirty-five years and now your son is taking your place!"

"We have been the luckiest people alive." Liz said, as she gazed up at her beloved, still incredibly handsome husband. "To have found each other, found our other friends and the rest of Max's, now my people as well. We live in the best place possible and are greatly blessed with so many friends and a healthy, happy family." Liz could only sigh, happily and grin as Max bent down to kiss her again...

The great-grandparents; Phillip and Diane Evans, Nancy and Jeff Parker, Amy and Jim Valenti and John and Judy Evans, were grouped together chatting and having a great time.

"I've been remembering how our kids brought us back together again." John Evans told his twin brother, Phillip. We had totally lost touch with each other; I didn't even know where you were living, but everything connected when our Isabelle met your Max's girlfriend, Liz and they put the pieces together. Next thing I know, I'm seeing my brother for the first time in over twenty years!" John remembered, happily.

"Those were incredible times." Phillip agreed. "We learned a lot about our kids just a short time later, when the six of us and all eight kids gathered in Roswell for Thanksgiving. I'm sorry that you weren't a part of that, Amy and Jim."

"We started sharing stories about our kids." Diane continued. "And realized that Max, Isabelle, Michael and Tess had all been found out in the desert, when they were six years old."

"And we admitted that we had seen our kids do some pretty strange things..." Judy said.

"And then the eight of them were standing in the doorway; they had heard our conversation and they all looked so frightened that we would think that they were freaks or something." Nancy said.

"As if we'd ever think that." Jeff added.

"What's incredible is what we found when all of us drove out to the desert and eventually found the pod-chamber..." Diane said.

"That message from Wellmax and Belleisa still sends a shiver through me." Judy said.

"And look where we are now; eight parents instead of just six, watching our grandchildren being crowned or becoming Royal Counselors!" Phillip exclaimed, chuckling.

"It's been a great life!" Diane agreed, hugging her husband and they all toasted each other with their non-alcoholic champagne.

Phil and Sue were still sharing memories with Sue's parents, godparents and Phil's sisters and their husbands.

"What I remember most is meeting my Phillip for the first time, when we were both seven. He made the cutest knight-in-shining-armor..." Sue sighed.

"And you were the cutest and bravest princess..." Phillip responded.

"That whole afternoon, playing with you, Libby and Matt was so much fun...and then that night, when you took me out to the clearing...that was so cool! And even though you were younger than all of the other kids, you caught on faster than both of the two boys you had gone with and they were older than you were!" Sue told her husband, proudly.

"And you weren't scared at all." Phil responded.

"But then when we had to go back to your house, you asked me to forget what I had just seen...I couldn't forget though; I didn't want to forget." Sue remembered.

"So I made a keep-sake for you out of five pennies with a map of Airatan on it, to remind you of your promise, to not tell anyone about what you had seen."

"Hey sis, is that the pendant you're wearing now? Somehow I never knew the story behind that before; even though you were it all of the time." Matt said.

"I lost it for a long time and because I couldn't find my copper-V, I wondered if this whole place had been a dream. It was all so magical and unreal." Sue smiled gently, remembering her younger self and the confusion that she had felt.

"So Sue, tell us finally; is Airatan real or is it just a dream...something like Brigadoon." Phillip asked her and Sue looked around at her friends and family.

"It is a dream come true!"

And they lived happily ever after!

The End.


End file.
